Paper Towns and Blank Space
by Pitch Black Magpie
Summary: Feeling suffocated by his mother's strict tendencies and having his whole life planned out for him, Gohan runs off in the dead of night, determined to find out who he is, travel the world, and experience life a different way. Along the way, he'll rekindle old friendships and make new ones, and finally figure out what "squad" means when not in reference to the Ginyus.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** So, I wanted to change it up a little from Family Ties and Void, which have a similar premise of "Gohan experiences some deep form of pain/dies/loses his parents". This is very loosely inspired by Paper Towns, hence the reference in the name. I've always wondered what it would be like if Gohan traveled around like Goku did as a kid and made some friends of his own, and got to experience human/earthling life to the fullest. I guess it's kind of a coming-of-age story? Anyway...this'll be a happier one! Yay! :P

* * *

 _Dearest Mother:_

No, that was too formal.

 _Hi Mom,_

Too casual.

 _Mother,_

Maybe?

Sighing, Gohan rubbed one of his temples with the end of his pencil. He crumpled up the piece of notebook paper on the desk in front of him and tossed it into the waste bin, taking another out of the drawer to start over.

 _Mom,_

 _I regret to inform you…_

No, that sounded pompous.

 _Mom,_

 _I'm sorry to say…_

No, that made it sound like he was dying.

 _Mom,_

 _I know that you're worried, but I want you to know I'm not leaving because I'm mad at you. I love you and Goten more than anything in the world, but I need to do some searching. I don't know who I am anymore. Between Father wanting me to be a warrior like him and you determined to make me your scholar, I'm not sure what I like, what I want to be, who I am. These past few months, I have felt more ardently lonely than at any point in my life. I can't stand to be shut up in the house day in and day out, where Father's absence is most obvious. I wish to experience freedom, and while I know this will make you unhappy, I ask that you be patient. I've already told Goten- in a way, in fact, he's the one who sort of made this suggestion. I want to travel and see the world like Father did in his childhood, make friends that are my own age- to have adventures that aren't riddled with the threat of death hanging over my head. I sincerely hope you understand and you can forgive me for leaving. I don't know if this decision is one I'm going to regret, but it's the only one that feels right. I can feel the urge to roam filling my veins and I don't want to waste the opportunity. I look forward to seeing you again when I am a new person with their own dreams and aspirations, more confident and able, and hope you accept me for who I am then._

 _Love,_

 _Gohan._

Chewing his lip, Gohan folded up the letter and placed it inside his shirt pocket, turning to watch the sunrise. Writing it was one thing- leaving it on his desk and leaving in the night was another. It had been something he'd been thinking about for months, but the date he'd set had snuck up on him; he began to wonder if leaving was even the right thing to do at all. Would he regret it after a week and come back with his tail between his legs? ChiChi probably wouldn't even let him out of the house after that.

"Gohan!" his mother called from the kitchen. "Come in, please!"

Scooting back his chair, Gohan leapt up and hurried to the kitchen, patting a giggling Goten on the head as he helped his mother prepare breakfast. "Did you get your reading done last night, Gohan?" ChiChi smiled, flipping a few eggs on the stove.

"Yes, Mother," Gohan replied, setting the juice out.

"How far did you get in the new book I bought you?"

"Page 304."

"Excellent!" ChiChi gave him a one-armed hug, setting plates out. "At this rate, you'll be through those new textbooks I bought you in no time!"

Goten grinned, a childish gurgle exiting his mouth as he waved his hands. ChiChi tied his bib on.

"We can start calculus this week too," ChiChi said, in her own world. "You _did_ get your pre-trig work done as well, right?"

"Of course I did," Gohan replied, sliding into his seat. He waited obediently until she had sat down as well before starting to pile food onto his plate.

"Good. Today I'd like you to start on human anatomy. I'm having some advanced chemistry texts shipped in as well, so watch for the delivery."

"Of course, Mom," Gohan sighed, stabbing a piece of sausage with his fork. His stomach was churning, making everything on the table look unappetizing, but he shoveled it down anyway. With how much work he had, he wouldn't be able to leave his desk but to play with Goten for a few minutes here and there.

They fell into a comfortable, but awkward on Gohan's part, silence, the same way it had been for months. The eggs felt tasteless and stale in his mouth as he thought about what he would be attempting in a few short hours, while she eyed him over his plate.

"Gohan? Is something wrong?" she asked worriedly, taking a swallow of water.

"Oh, no, Mother, I'm just eager to get started on my work," Gohan lied, smiling. "In fact, I'm not that hungry, so if it's all right with you I think I'll just get started." He stood and walked to the hall.

"Okay, sweetie. Make sure to take a five minute break every forty-five minutes," she called after him.

Gohan darted into his room and closed the door, leaning against it with a sigh of relief. He glanced at his desk, overflowing with books and miscellaneous papers, as well as the stacks of books on the floor, and winced.

He wondered if he was being selfish. Would a good son stay home no matter how unhappy he was? Probably.

He glanced at the desk again.

He just didn't know if he could handle eight more years of this, day in and day out. His muscles were sore from lack of exercise, and he knew he probably couldn't achieve the second level of Super Saiyan if he tried. What if someone attacked the planet again, like with Cell and Bojack?

Sighing, he sat down to study, eyes heavy from having gotten no sleep the night before. He'd spent hours trying to come up with the right wording for his letter, too anxious to sleep. Now, it seemed silly to focus on algebra when he wouldn't be there in the morning.

* * *

"Gohan!"

With a jolt, Gohan shot up from his desk, a paper sticking to his face. He swiped it away and found ChiChi standing over him with her arms crossed, one foot tapping on the floor. Had he fallen asleep?

"The time for sleeping is at _night_ , Gohan," she said testily, her trusty frying pan in one hand. Gohan gulped and nodded.

"I'm sorry, Mother. I just drifted off."

"See that it doesn't happen again," ChiChi growled, storming back through his door toward the kitchen. Gohan rubbed his forehead tiredly and turned back to his papers.

He sat for hours mulling his plan over, making himself more and more nervous, before dusk hit. When ChiChi went to bed, he pulled out his supplies and counted them almost obsessively, over and over until it was midnight.

He had a small stash of money from allowances never spent and birthday gifts from Bulma. Through secret trips down to the villages surrounding Mount Paozu, he had picked up several capsules with non-perishable foods inside, as well as a fridge of water. Not to mention the senzu beans Korin had gifted him one year. He also had a delicate-looking silver bracelet from Bulma, a device that would hide his ki (unless he unleashed enough power to break it). She had been slightly suspicious as to why he wanted it, but he had told her it was for playing hide and seek with Goten in a few years; ki sensing made the game kind of moot.

Another lie.

His clock read _12:22._ Swallowing thickly, Gohan slid the bracelet over his wrist, locking it into place. Nothing short of a steel sawblade was going to take it off. He tossed his capsule case and senzu bag into his pillowcase, along with his spare clothes, twisting and tying the top off into a knot and throwing it over his shoulder.

As quiet as he could be, he slid out the most normal-looking clothes he owned, a pair of black pants and a long-sleeved white shirt. They were both slightly too large, but they would have to do. Lastly, he placed a tiny piece of paper into his doorjamb. Leaving the letter he'd written on his desk, he crossed his tiny room to the door.

Slowly, he creaked open his door and padded down the hall to Goten's nursery, an odd-on built by the Ox-King. He peeked inside before entering, leaning over Goten's crib with a smile.

"Hey, buddy," he whispered, watching Goten's eyes creak open with a smile.

"Go'an!" Goten whispered back excitedly, reaching up toward him.

Gohan ruffled his hair. "I have to leave now, squirt."

"You oin' ta 'ave fun?" Goten whispered, words jumbled.

"Yep. Gonna go find myself. You be good for Mom, okay? I love you, Goten. I promise I'll visit and send you birthday gifts and letters." Goten nodded rapidly. Gohan leaned down and kissed him on the forehead, ruffling his hair one last time before he walked back to the door.

"'Ove you," Goten giggled into the dark.

Gohan snuck outside, rising into the air with barely a sound. He glanced down at his house- quiet, unassuming, dark and peaceful- and felt doubt stir in his chest.

If he really went through with this, he might not see his home for a few years at least.

If he went back now, no one would have to know.

Gohan had never been very rebellious. Sure, he'd gone against ChiChi's word before, but it had always been for the sake of the world. He'd never done something just because _he_ wanted to. Let alone for such a selfish reason.

He looked up at the sky, indecisive. As he stared, he felt something urging him on, telling him to run away and not look back. There were adventures to be had, people to meet, fun to experience that he wouldn't get at home. The world _had_ to hold so much more than just his family's patch of land on a mountain in the middle of nowhere.

Taking a deep breath, he took off, his goal clear in his mind and his decision made.

* * *

He'd already gathered the Dragon Balls, having snuck out one night the week before to do so without Bulma realizing her radar was gone. Flying to a wasteland, he arranged the balls in a circle, thinking over what wishes he wanted so he wouldn't have to keep Shenron too long.

"I summon thee, Eternal Dragon," he yelled, hair blown back as Shenron burst forth in a great display of light, illuminating the night sky.

"Speak your wishes," Shenron boomed.

"For my first wish, I wish that no one could find me unless I wanted them to. No crystal balls, no spying on me from the Lookout, no spying on my mind with telepathy."

The dragon's eyes glowed. "Your wish is granted. Speak your second wish."

"I wish for a space craft, concealable within a capsule, large enough to fit several people comfortably but small enough to be stealthy." Gohan wanted to see space at one point. Maybe it had been a silly thing to wish for, but surely the universe had more to offer than people who wanted to murder him.

"Your wish is granted." A capsule appeared in Gohan's palms as the dragon disappeared. Gohan placed it into his case and wondered if maybe he should have wished for an unlimited supply of food or money instead.

Oh, well. Too late now. He turned around and headed for the nearest city, excitement coursing through his veins.

No books. No studying. Just him, free to go wherever he wanted.


	2. Chapter 2

Gohan looked around with wide eyes, feeling out of his element. He'd been in cities before, but not very often and never at night.

People bustled around him, laughing and shoving as they traversed the streets. Every light was lit up, illuminating the street like it was still day. Gohan tried not to get trampled, suddenly wondering what his destination was.

He…didn't exactly have one.

Oops.

Even if he had been thinking about this for months, he hadn't thought of what he would do _after_ leaving.

"Hey kid, are you okay?"

He turned around, startled, jolting back when a pair of bright blue eyes met his gaze from just inches away. "Um?"

"Gee, Erasa, give the kid some space," the boy behind her snorted.

"Ooh, sorry!" the girl giggled, covering her mouth with one hand. "I'm Erasa, who're you?"

"I'm…Gohan," Gohan replied uncertaintly.

"What are you, a runaway?" the boy asked with squinted eyes, eyeing him up and down.

"Uh, no. My family lives in the country; I was sent to find work." He had at least worked out a story to tell people.

"But you're, like, nine!" Erasa squeaked.

"I'm almost eleven," Gohan sweatdropped. "I know kids in the city go to school until they're eighteen, but where I'm from kids my age are already working."

"Glad I don't live in the sticks, then," the boy yawned.

"Sharpner!" Erasa said sharply. "Be nice!"

"Where's Videl, anyway? This is her dad's premiere we're going to."

Erasa's head swiveled as she examined the street, pointing down the way to the entrance to a movie theatre. "There she is!" Cupping her hands around her mouth, she started to yell. "Videl! Come over here!"

Gohan followed her gaze to a small girl with pigtails, standing on the sidewalk with a sour look. The girl turned and saw Erasa, frowning at Gohan before walking over, somehow getting the crowds to move around her instead of sticking in her way. "What, Erasa?"

"Look at our new friend!" Erasa gushed, grabbing Gohan's arm. He jerked. "He's a cutie, isn't he?"

Videl narrowed her eyes at him. Gohan swallowed and started to sweat. "Who're you?"

"G-Gohan," Gohan replied, smiling weakly. "My family lives in the city. I came to find work."

Her face softened just slightly, although her posture was still on guard. "Oh. Well, I can't help you there, but I heard there's some openings at the Satan dojo for cleanup."

"Oh, thank you, I'll be sure to check that out," Gohan said, laughing nervously.

"Are these all the clothes you have?" Sharpner asked, eyeing his shirt distastefully.

"I have some spares?" Gohan asked, confused.

Erasa squeaked. "This is a tragedy! They're hideous!" Gohan sweatdropped again while Videl facepalmed.

"Sorry about her," she told him. "She doesn't know when she's being rude."

"I was planning on buying some, but I don't have much money," Gohan said, subtly trying to step away from Erasa's grip on his arm.

"Oh, you poor thing!"

"Videl!" A familiar voice boomed. Gohan paled. "Where'd you go, honeybun?"

Videl groaned, slapping a hand to her forehead. "Over here, Dad."

A man burst out of the theatre, surrounded by reporters and flashing cameras. A grin was stuck on his face as he held up a peace sign. "Come take some photo ops with your old man, Videl!"

"Is that…Mr. Satan?" Gohan asked, tilting his head.

Erasa squealed. "You're so cute!" she gushed, glomping him. Gohan stumbled.

"Wait, you don't know who they are?" Sharpner gawked. "That's Videl, and her dad's the champ! He saved the world from Cell! How could you not know who they are?!"

"Oh," Gohan said, lackluster. "Well…we didn't have a TV, you know," he laughed.

"He was so brave!" Erasa swooned. "He stood up to Cell and defeated him and saved the whole world! He's the strongest fighter around and Videl's gonna be as strong as him someday!"

 _That'd be bad for her_ , Gohan thought sheepishly. "Hey!" Hercule roared, stomping over. "Who's the kid? I don't remember okaying fan visits."

"We're on the street, Daddy," Videl said, obviously annoyed. "He's some kid from the country, he's just looking for a job. Jeez, take it easy."

"A job, you say?" Hercule examined him and started laughing. "Well, you don't look strong enough to do much hard work, but I have an opening at my dojo! You can clean up after workdays!"

"T-thank you, sir, but I'm just looking at all my options right now," Gohan said, sweating buckets. "In fact, I really need to go if I'm going to find a motel that'll take me this late. Bye!" With a weird side-dance, he wriggled out of Erasa's grip and jogged down the street, waving at them as he disappeared into the crowd.

 _That was close_ , he thought with relief. He'd rather stab himself in the eye before working under Hercule. It wasn't like he needed a reminder of Cell every single day.

Then again, he did actually need money. Maybe he _should_ have jumped on the opportunity.

 _I'll figure it out in the morning_ , he thought tiredly. _Right now I just want a warm bed._

As it turns out, cheap motels did offer beds, but they weren't very warm. It was in a not-so-nice part of town, but it wasn't as if Gohan was worried; he could destroy a burglar with one finger- literally.

The bed was lumpy and hard; he didn't get a good night's sleep. If that was any indicator of how well the day ahead was going to go, he was already wishing he'd stayed home.

Switching to a clean pair of clothes, he started to wander the city again, tempted by the smells wafting through the air. He stood practically drooling in front of a shop window offering pumpkin bread before he wrenched himself away, walking determinately down the street. _I will not waste my money._

There were signs _everywhere_ advertising Hercule's gym. With a heavy sigh, Gohan ambled toward the street written on one of the billboards, feeling defeated. No one who was hiring wanted a scrawny-looking almost-eleven year old.

Just as he was about to head into the grandiose, attention-drawing building (which actually looked quite nice inside), he saw a small shop a few stores down with a _Help Wanted_ sign in the window. Shrugging, he walked inside, making the bell above the door sound off.

"Be there in a minute!" a voice called from the back room, the entrance to which was covered by a dusty curtain and situated behind the counter. The shelves and tables within were decorated with books and a variety of knick-knacks, as well as vintage-looking toiletries.

Gohan was leaning over to examine an ornate antique knife in the counter case when an elderly man burst through the curtain, panting like he'd run a marathon. "How may I help you today?" he asked.

Gohan looked him up and down. The man wore plain pants and a shirt in the style of the one he'd worn in the days before the Cell Games. Smiling anxiously, he pointed a finger toward the sign. "I saw the sign and thought I'd come in and ask about it."

"Oh did you?" the man eyed him, looking suspicious. "And what would a young boy like yourself need work for?"

"My family lives in the country in the next district. I came here to find work. Don't worry, I don't attend school, if you're wondering whether or not I'm absent."

"Well you should," the man huffed. "An education's the most valuable thing you can get these days."

"I know, sir. But right now I really just need a way to support myself. I don't have any references, but I can lift anything heavy and do any other work you might need."

"Well, first thing you lead with when you're trying to get a job is your name," the man huffed, adjusting his spectacles. "Well, sonny?"

"Gohan, sir," Gohan replied sheepishly.

"Good. I'm Singeru. You say you can lift heavy things, hmm?" Singeru asked, shifted his glasses downward. Gohan nodded. "All right then, give me a little demonstration. Lift that box, why don't you?" he gestured to a box full of books.

Gohan was confused. The box certainly didn't look heavy. He picked it up easily, holding it in one hand. Singeru blinked.

"That one." He pointed at a larger one. Gohan lifted this one as well. "That one!" He pointed to a box sitting on a table.

Gohan misunderstood. Crossing to the table, he lifted it off its feet, grinning at the man with his eyes closed. "Is this good?"

Singeru gaped, mouth open but nothing coming out except for stammers. "Y-y-y-" He pointed at him, glasses falling off his nose and hanging over his lip. "H-how?!"

"I can take change, too," Gohan pleaded. "Please, sir, I swear I'll be an honest worker. If _you_ don't hire me, I'll have to go apply at the Satan dojo." A desperate expression flashed across his face.

"Oh, you poor boy. You're hired."

* * *

Singeru's Antiques, as Gohan learned it was called, was only still in business due to Hercule's dojo. It brought so much traffic to the street that customers often stopped in just to see what the shop was. Many of them were middle-aged women bringing their sons to train at the dojo, thus giving Singeru a prime target market. It still wasn't as if Singeru were rolling in money, but he was at least getting by.

Singeru was unsure of his decision at first, but seemed to decide he liked Gohan quickly enough when he was made exempt from lifting anything in the shop. Gohan moved everything, switching the items on tables and bookcases at Singeru's request in record time. He was able to redo the sign above the shop's door as well, something the man had been unable to do for a few years. Under instruction, Gohan also fixed the light fixture in the main room, using the stepladder that had fallen out of use as Singeru got older.

Not a speck of dust decorated the store from the day Gohan was hired. His mother's cleaning tendencies had rubbed off on him, making him a neat freak. Everything was labeled within two days, and signs were hung within three, eliminating any confusion. Gohan was also able to clean the blades in the glass cases with ease and skill- Mirai had shown him the basics to using and caring for blades before he'd gone back to his timeline.

"Best decision I ever made," Singeru crowed, feet propped up on a stool as he sipped lemonade. The back room, which had formerly been a mess, was now a neat stock room, while the desk was filled with numerous order forms and receipt tickets.

Gohan looked up from mopping the floor, raising an eyebrow at the man's random outburst. He was similar to Master Roshi in personality, minus the lewd perverseness. "What was?"

"Oh, nuthin," the man chortled. Gohan rolled his eyes. "Say, boy, you need a haircut. Why don't you hop down the street and get one?" he asked, taking a few bills out of his pocket.

"Do I?" Gohan asked worriedly, reaching up to grab his hair. It had grown out to his back again.

"Yes, and while you're at it change out of those clothes. You look like a hobo!" Gohan sweatdropped, taking the money mutely. Singeru swatted at him with a broom, chasing him out onto the sidewalk. "Get! Get!"

Gohan smoothed down his hair and followed the line of traffic until he saw a building with glass making up the front wall. The sign read _Singer Hair Salon._

"This looks like a girls' place," he muttered, stepping inside and eyeing the décor. It was all a shade of pink, black, or magenta.

"How many I help…you?" the girl at the podium up front trailed off when she saw him. "Oh. My. Kami."

"Um," Gohan said helplessly, holding up a few bills. "I don't know how this works. I need a haircut?"

"Seri!" the girl screeched. "Get up here!"

A middle-aged woman came bustling up front, wearing an apron that looked like it was made out of fur. Her hair was dyed red and half her head was shaved. Her nails were black and white polka dots, and her lips were painted white. "What is it?" She, too, cut off when she saw him. "That _hair_!"

Gohan jumped when the two descended on him, running their hands through his hair. He squeaked, cheekbones going red and jolting back, but not moving away, as he felt that would be impolite. "Your hair is _gorgeous_ ," the girl grinned. "What did you want to do with it?"

"I-I don't know," Gohan stammered. "I've never gone to a hair cut place before."

Stars appeared in their eyes. "So cute!" the girl gushed, grabbing him by the neck. Her name tag read _Mina_.

"Come along, sweetie! Lucky for you, I just finished an appointment. Brekker can handle me next one," Seri told Mina, grabbing Gohan by the shoulders and steering him to the back past various customers seated in leather chairs in front of mirrors. Luckily, her station was out of sight of the front window.

She pushed Gohan into the seat, rifling through the desk until she found a catalog. "Here's some examples of what we can do," she said, placing it in his lap.

"Oh…" Gohan started to flip through. "W-what do you suggest?"

"Keep the ponytail. It's adorable."

Gohan eyed the women's section in the catalog. "Well, I'd like it to be not so thick, but still long enough to tie it up and put it in a bun." Thankfully, his hair had lost its _insane_ spikiness it had gone through during the Cell Games. During his bowl-cut phase, it had lied flat, like ChiChi's. It was still fairly spiky, but not nearly so much as before.

"Okie-dokie. Medium-cut, then, I'd say just past the shoulder." Seri took the ends of his hand in her fingertips, tilting her head and closing one eye.

"Why don't you just do what you think will look best and I'll go with it?" Gohan asked, sweatdropping.

"Yes! I love to hear that!" With a cackle, she whirled around and fished around for a plastic blanket to wrap around him. "Just leave it to me!"

Gohan examined himself in the mirror, reaching up to poke at his hair. It wasn't wild anymore, but was instead lifted up in a high ponytail, with two of his spikes making bangs that hung over one eye. Part of it was dyed red.

"I like it," he said, smiling politely. "Thank you very much."

"He's so cute," Mina gushed, hands clapped together. Gohan twitched and flushed.

Seri removed the blanket, letting the remains of his hair fall to the floor. It looked like a cat had come in and shed most of its coat before moving on. "Customer satisfaction guaranteed!" she said cheerfully. "Come back anytime, kid! Upkeep is important!"

"Yes, Seri-san," Gohan laughed, signing the guest book at Mina's station. He'd already paid her, and was surprised at how much it had cost- then again, he didn't think _he_ could do that to somebody's hair. It must take skill.

Waving on his way out, he pushed through the crowd toward the connecting street, which he knew led to the city square. The place was massive- one was able to see the Orange Star High School from the fountain in the middle. The mall sat on one side, and Gohan didn't know anywhere else to buy clothing.

He made sure to keep an eye out for any of the Briefs. He knew Bulma usually stuck to West City for shopping, but there was no telling where she'd show up.

That was one good thing about living in Satan City: none of the Z-Fighters went there because they didn't want to see Hercule.

He almost didn't go to any clothing stores- the food court was too alluring. A voice broke through his distracted drooling, practically shrieking. "Oh Gohan! Gohan! There you are!"

Erasa jogged over, three shopping bags on her arm, and lunged for a hug. "O-oh, hi, Erasa," Gohan stuttered, feeling like faceplanting. "How're you today?"

"I'm awesome! I love your hair!" She fingered his bangs, and he blushed. "Did you find a job?"

"Yeah, I work at Singeru's Antiques now. He's really nice; he even lets me sleep in the loft," Gohan said, rubbing the back of his neck. "But he told me to come buy some clothes. He said I look like a hobo."

Erasa burst into laughter, but it hardly disturbed the people around them. "Well c'mon! I'll shop with you! I'm here with my sister," she took his hand and guided him to a store filled with clothing racks, where he saw an identical blonde head bobbing between them. "Don't mind her, she's in her own world. Let's find you something!"

Gohan let her drag him around, filling his arms with things to try on. To be honest, this whole 'shopping' business was more tiring than it was worth.

"Do I really have to try _all_ of these on?" he whined while she shoved him toward the dressing rooms.

"Yes!" she emphasized. "Go!"

Gohan sighed and obeyed.

More than two hours later, he was getting worried Singeru would be mad at him for leaving the shop so long. Then again, he had been the one to force Gohan to leave, so it wasn't as if he could complain.

Erasa coerced him into buying several pairs of jeans, which he found unfamiliar and disorienting. He was used to loose clothing like his gi, not anything even vaguely tight-fitting.

He flat-out refused to buy any shirts he wasn't comfortable in, however, no matter what band they had on the front that she liked. He ended up only buying two; one a navy blue button-down and the other a dark purple T-shirt.

Gohan, despite his worst mental complaining, however, had not seen the true horrors of shopping with someone clothing-obsessed; and was about to meet his worst nightmare- shoe shopping.

Most kids and young teenagers' shoes were either basketball shoes or brightly-colored tennis shoes. Gohan settled on a pair of work boots in the smallest size.

"It has _growing_ room," he said while she complained.

In the end, most of the bags he carried were hers. Despite her penchant for buying so much, she was surprisingly frugal; finding every sale in the building and taking full advantage of it. He followed her and her sister, Pencila (were their parents obsessed with office materials?), into the food court, struggling not to salivate openly at the smells.

"What do you want, Gohan?" she asked cheerfully, examining one of the laminated papers in the table that served as a menu.

"Everything," Gohan groaned. She laughed, thinking he was joking. "Er, I guess a hamburger."

"Erasa!" Sharpner's voice called out. He walked toward them, waving, before he spotted Gohan. "Oh. Hi, Gohen."

"Gohan."

"Right. So, guess what?" Sharpner asked, looking smug as he slid into their booth.

"What?" Erasa repeated.

Sharpner smirked. "Guess who got signed on as one of Hercule's _personal_ pupils?"

A loud squeal emitted from Erasa's mouth, making Gohan flinch. She didn't appear able to say anything, simply jumping up and down in her seat and clapping her hands while Pencila went _Oh, my!_

Sharpner gave him a confused look when he didn't react. "You _do_ remember who Hercule is, right?"

"What? Oh, yeah, congratulations," Gohan replied, looking around for the waitress delivering their food.

Sharpner gawked at him slightly before Erasa leaned over the table to poke him in the arm. "Hey, that means you can train with Videl now!"

"Yep." All confusion fled his face as Sharpner grinned, crossing his arms. "Me 'n Videl. We're peers now."

"Good for you!"

"Here you are!" the waitress set a few plastic trays down.

"Thank you, ma'am," Gohan chirped before digging in, devouring his food in under a minute. Erasa stared at him slightly wide-eyed.

"Wow. Hungry?"

"Yeah," Gohan laughed and rubbed the back of his head. "Anyway, thanks for walking around with me today. I need to get back to the shop now, though."

Erasa leaned up to hug him. "Be careful on your way back! Stay away from alleys and wait for the lights until you cross the street."

Gohan sweatdropped. "…Thanks. Bye, Sharpner."

Sharpner waved at him as he exited the food court.

 _Is it really that big of a deal to become Hercule's student?_ He wondered while he walked down the street. In the back of his mind, he resolved to visit that dojo at least once, if not to just find out what the man had been doing with his stolen fame.

* * *

A few months passed in relative peace. Gohan manned the shop in the mornings and afternoons, flocking to the food court after three to have a late lunch with Erasa, Sharpner, and sometimes Videl. He fit seamlessly into their group, providing Sharpner with someone to call 'nerd' because of how often he talked about Singeru's books and their value, Erasa with someone to indulge her when she wanted someone to shop with, and Videl someone to be suspicious of and sometimes complain about her dad to.

After a while, though, he started to feel the pull. He wanted to move on, find new things, experience new places- Satan City was nice, and he would definitely come back often, but it was time to find a new place to try out.

He bought a plain stock robot from a capsule store to fill in at Singeru's, who promised him he would have a job whenever he came back and a place to sleep. By now the old man had figured out that he wasn't working for his family, but it was an unspoken truth between them. He made up a story about going to stay with a relative to his friends, although Videl forced a cell phone onto him to keep in touch with and bought him a bus ticket.

"Goodbye, Gohan! Come back soon!" Erasa yelled from the bus stop. Gohan waved from the back seat of the vehicle, watching their silhouettes become smaller and smaller until he couldn't see them anymore.

Sharpner had given him a black cloth bag with long strings that functioned as backpack straps or over-the-shoulder straps with a skull on it, saying his pillowcase looked stupid. Gohan had accepted it sheepishly, wondering how walking around with a pillow looked to other people. The blond had been rather wary of him at first, and Gohan felt that if they had met in a different life in a different situation he probably would never have stopped making fun of him, but after a while he started calling Gohan nerd out of affection rather than scorn.

Fishing a box of candy Erasa had given him out of said bag, Gohan leaned back in his seat, enjoying the rumble of the bus. Sure, he could fly to the next city, but he was sure that would make local news somewhere as a UFO- and he was sure Bulma was monitoring any news for ChiChi. The less his friends had for clues, the better. Sitting inside the metal frame just felt more secure than flying out in the open- and besides, using human transportation to get around held a strange novelty.

At one of the stops, he bought a postcard with an aquarium on it.

 _Hey, Goten! First postcard, just like you asked. Have you been good for Mom? I've been in the city for a while, man is it weird. A tip for you: never let a girl take you shopping, it just makes your feet hurt and gives you a headache. I don't know why they're obsessed with shoes. Hope you're doing well, your big brother~ Gohan._

He dropped it in the mailbox outside the station and hopped back on the bus. The destination was a city north of Satan City called Saya City, a place world-famous for its flavoured frozen ice.

With a grin, Gohan settled in for the ride. He couldn't wait.


	3. Chapter 3

For months, Gohan hopped from city to city, slowly losing the naiveté he'd gone into his quest with. He learned to recognize when someone was trying to take advantage of him, as well as when someone was trying to scam him. He learned to put ki shields over his doors and windows at nights in shady motels to keep people from breaking in and stealing his things, as well as the best places to get bulk food.

He sent postcards off to Goten weekly, as well as to Videl, Erasa and Sharpner. He was sure ChiChi was having an aneurism daily by now.

Most nights, he stowed the guilt and went about the streets looking for things to do. Sometimes he met street performers and joined in the act- which was, coincidentally, how he learned to juggle and walk on a tight rope. One particular troop convinced him to travel with them for a few months, ensnared by his ability to juggle knives and things generally on fire. His favorite act was the trapeze- the women there taught him how to be flexible enough for the more difficult flips and tricks, and it was great exercise.

They were far from any city now, deep in the country where the land was heavily populated by villages, tiny little cities of their own, hitting a village per day.

"That's it, Gohan!" called Suzu, one of the two trapeze artists of _Paper Swords Circus_. The other was her husband, Keru. "You're doing great!"

Gohan preened slightly at the praise, twisting himself up and catching the next bar with ease. He soared across the inside of the tent, landing on the platform smoothly.

"Maybe we ought to have him do this with knives," Keru teased, grinning. "I swear he's the only one in this group to _not_ have cut themselves at least once."

Gohan shimmied down the ladder and ran a hand through his hair. The summer heat had drenched them all in sweat. "How many people does Sakuya think we'll get tonight?"

"Most of the village, maybe even all of them!" Suzu said excitedly, slinging an arm around his shoulders as they exited the main tent through the back and weaved their way through the small personal tents set up outside.

A goat bleated from one of the pens. Gohan waved at it with a grin, taking a handful of apple slices he'd hidden in his pocket and dropping it into the pen as he passed.

"Oi! Gohan! Apples make him rowdy!" the goat's owner cried, shaking a fist at him. He laughed and waved, fleeing.

"Well, maybe our salaries'll be a bit fatter if we get that many," Keru thought aloud. "Kami knows we need it with how much this kid eats." He ruffled Gohan's hair.

Gohan snorted and swatted his hand away. "You use just as much money in hair gel as I do in food."

"Ooh!" Suzu chortled, slapping a hand over her mouth. "He's right!"

"I do not!" Keru whined. "My hair's like this naturally!"

"Riiiiight," Gohan teased, sticking his tongue out at him. Keru swiped for his head, but he burst into a sprint, running for their tent. The outside was a deep blue, while the inside was cluttered with small, easily moveable furniture, a few cots and random knick-knacks. Keru chased him around the portable stove in the middle, making several things fall over.

"Cut it out, you two!" Suzu tossed a bottle of water at Keru's head. "I don't want to set the tent on fire like last month."

Gohan paused sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head "Sorry, Suzu."

Keru laughed jovially, taking advantage of Gohan's distraction. He grabbed him by the waist and hefted him into the air, spinning around in a circle.

"Keru!" Gohan yelled, flailing. "I almost puked last time!"

"'Almost' being the keyword!"

Suzu facepalmed. "I'm gonna go see if Sakuya needs any help setting the concession stands up. Behave!" she ordered, jabbing a finger at them as she exited the tent.

Keru let Gohan sit on his shoulder, peeking out the tent flap with beady eyes. "Okay. She's gone."

Gohan whipped a bottle of hair dye out of nowhere, flipping open the cap with a mischievous look. "She'll _love_ green hair."

* * *

It had been excruciating to step out on stage for the first time and see hundreds of eyes looking back at him. By now, though, he had learned to enjoy it, even anticipate it.

"I need a volunteer!" Gohan called with a grin, casually twirling a knife in each hand. "I guarantee that this act is completely safe, but it's not for the faint of heart!"

He spotted a woman shoving her husband in the shoulder. He rolled his eyes and got up, much to the delight of his two children, who started squealing. "You, sir! Come on down!"

He was middle-aged, wearing worn out jeans and a plain button-down. "What's your name, sir?" Gohan asked, eyes twinkling, as the man walked up the steps to stand beside him. He pocked both knives with a flick of his hands.

"Kiguro," the man replied. Gohan shook his hand.

"Welcome to the act, Kiguro. If you'd please, stand right here on these footholds," Gohan instructed, showing the man to the spinning wheel in the middle of the stage. There were three dots around his head and shoulders that were the primary colors, while three decorated the area around his legs numbered one to three. Kiguro stepped onto it nervously, trying to hide it, and Gohan saw a bead of sweat run down his forehead as he strapped him in.

"All right!" He backed up several yards to a table full of throwing knives and winked at the audience. "Let's start the wheel."

Like clockwork, the wheel began to spin, faster and faster until Kiguro was a slight blur. "First, let's hit the red dot," Gohan said, picking up a blade.

He reared back his hand, grinning when the audience sucked in a breath. Narrowing his eyes, Gohan threw the blade just slow enough that they could see its path, and he saw Kiguro flinch when it hit the board.

"Yellow dot!" Another blade flew from his hand.

"Blue dot." A third thud echoed in the room.

"Now then." Gohan took three blades in one hand, tilting his head. After a moment of silence, he let all three loose at the same time. "One- two- three!"

Three simultaneous thuds. The audience gasped as the wheel started to slow, while Kiguro's family watched apprehensively.

The wheel slowed to a full stop with Kiguro looking dazed, completely unharmed, with the knives neatly in the center of each target. The audience burst into applause, while two stagehands appeared to help Kiguro down.

Gohan crossed to the center of the stage, taking Kiguro's hand and raising it into the air. "Thank you for your service, Kiguro-san! You were excellent."

"T-thank you for not skewering me," Kiguro said with a sweatdrop, bowing with him. Gohan helped him down the steps, returning to the stage after he'd seen him sit down without falling over.

"That concludes this portion of the event, ladies and gentlemen. We'll have a five minute intermission before we bring out the trapeze. Thank you!" He clapped his hands together and the lights went out, leaving the stands illuminated but the stage in complete darkness.

"Great job, Gohan!" Suzu said, patting him on the shoulder as he darted behind the curtains.

"Thanks, Suzu," he smiled. Above, he heard rustling as the stagehands hurried to get the trapeze set up. "On in five."

* * *

Keru's hands locked securely around his ankles, swinging him through the air toward Suzu. Gohan sailed through the tent, grabbing onto Suzu's waiting hands and swinging back to the platform, landing in a handstand. The crowd let out a collective _ooh_.

Suzu landed beside him. A moment later, he catapulted himself onto the trapeze, swinging in tandem with Keru as they performed mirror image parts of the act.

Even if he could fly, the exhilaration that came with putting yourself in someone else's hands was addicting. If he let Keru or Suzu go, they didn't have a net to fall back on; if they let him go, he wouldn't be hurt, but it'd probably smart for a few hours.

Sakuya, the troop leader, came out on stage below them, hands spread wide. "Let's give a hand for the Paper Swords trapeze troop, everyone!"

The tent burst into applause. Gohan grinned and bowed from the platform, waving.

The last portion was the fire jugglers, which Gohan only helped in every other week. After helping take the trapeze equipment down, he rushed back to his tent to change into a pair of jeans and a purple tank top and joined the festivities, going right for the cotton candy. His mother had _never_ let him have something so loaded with sugar.

His teeth would probably have rotted by now if Suzu didn't make him painstakingly clean them every night. Shoveling candy into his mouth, he wandered through the crowd, noting how many different clothing styles and people he saw. They were on a border town of several regions, including the desert, so he supposed many different cultures would be moving through.

He hadn't visited the desert yet. Gohan felt the pull, and made a decision.

Like everything else, he moved on, eventually landing in the East Capitol. Suzu and Keru gave him a going-away party, and the mime started crying. Sakuya told him he would have a home there wherever he went. Tesa and Tasa, the twin jugglers, cried alligator tears and wrapped him in their massive arms for five minutes.

The East Capitol was absolutely massive, and it had, basically, everything- restaurants that served delicacies like lobster and snail eggs, little stands on street corners that sold corndogs, large and sweeping libraries (he nearly hurt himself freaking out so hard when he'd seen the Capitol's main library branch- books were quite fun when they weren't shoved down your throat), hotels with private pools and hot tubs, spas with mud baths and seaweed wraps.

Gohan had figured out quickly how to make money. Whether it was finding the street fighting rings in the underbellies of the cities, or going and finding a few chunks of precious metals from places normal humans couldn't traverse to sell. What could he say? He enjoyed the delicacies in life.

Early on, he'd bought a camera and started sending pictures of _everything_ to Goten. He was sure the boy had enough to fill numerous scrapbooks by now. He was always careful not to include anything incriminating in them, like street signs or recognizable landmarks, but every so often, he let it slip just a little. He would leave before he even sent the picture, and hear later from his friends in the cities he visited about strange men flying in and looking around days or weeks after he'd abandoned the place.

He left little clues in his gifts to Goten, ranging from stuffed animals to foreign knick knacks. He even found some weird place called Penguin Village he sent some candy from. In his first package to his little brother, he included a large world map that opened up over a whole wall and a box of red push pins, hoping Goten would grow older and connect the dots to plot the course his brother had taken over the years.

After a while, he figured out how to take videos with his phone, and kept buying disposable ones so Bulma couldn't track him. He would take videos of himself with messages to his brother and send them to the Briefs' emails, knowing they would show ChiChi. He hadn't looked any of them up, too scared of their reactions to his leaving.

One day, though, he got curious, sitting on a park bench in the East Capitol. He opened up his phone and typed his name into the search bar, waiting for it to load and sucking on a popsicle he'd bought down the street.

 _Missing: Son Gohan_

 _Reward: $50,000 zeni._

 _Missing Persons: Son Gohan_.

…Oops.

He should have known Bulma would pull something like that.

Thus, the next video he sent was slightly…nerve-wracking.

"Uh, hey, guys," he grinned nervously into the camera. "So, I just Googled myself for the first time in a year and a half, and I found out that legally, I'm a missing person! Woohooooo! I bet you're all pretty mad at me, huh?" He laughed, running a hand through his hair. "Soooooooorry." He shrugged. "Mom, if you're seeing this, I'm willing to bet you're either clutching your frying pan, pulling your hair, growling, or a combo of the above. Ehehe, please don't kill me. I hope you're all doing well! I love you Goten! Bye-bye!" he waved and closed his phone, rubbing his temples. "Welp. That's not good."

He wandered downtown, typing away a text to Videl and Erasa. Sharpner probably wouldn't like it if he knew they had a separate group chat that didn't include him.

 _Soooooo, HYPOTHETICALLY, what would you do if you were technically a missing persons by law?_

 _Soooooo, HYPOTHETICALLY, do I need to come bring you in?_ Videl replied almost instantaneously.

 _No. Hypothetical, remember?_

 _Are u srs?!_ Erasa typed back. _Why're u missing?_

 _Sorta ran off on my own. Yeeeeeeah sorry for my little story. But hey, if it makes you feel any better, I've been on my own for like half my life, so I'm used to it by now._

 _Did your parents neglect you?_ Videl asked, and he paused.

 _It's complicated._

He closed his phone and looked up, realizing he was in a line. For what, he didn't know.

And that was now he ended up in a movie theatre stuffing his face with popcorn and twizzlers watching a rerun of _Aladdin_.

"I have no idea what I'm going to do," he admitted to the empty theatre.

* * *

Gohan was busy taping up a package containing a silver, silk-like gi he'd won in a fight in the East for Goten when a shop caught his eye. There were small silver objects hanging in the window, which he recognized as jewelry when he looked closer.

Stowing the package in his bag, he wandered over to the window and examined the earrings. Something occurred to him: his mother wasn't there. He could literally do anything he wanted.

Gohan hurried into the shop and pulled an employee aside, wondering how old he needed to be to have his ear pierced without parental consent. In most big cities it was eighteen (which was stupid seeing as one only needed to be fifteen to enter the World Martial Arts Tournament's adult division), but in some smaller cities the age was only thirteen.

Five minutes later, he sat in a chair while a girl sterilized his ear, rambling on about what would look good on him.

"Honestly, I'd go with a bird wing, bigger the better. They're so in style right now," she said. Gohan didn't even flinch during the process.

"I like that one," he said, eyeing a piece as long as his hand. She grinned and hurried off to the stock room, bringing one of them back and spritzing it with sterilizing spray.

His ear was a little sore as he walked out, but he made himself leave it alone. He snapped a picture and sent it to the girls and Sharpner with no explanation, chortling when Sharpner responded in all caps.

 _SERIOUSLY, DUDE?_

Gohan leapt off the bus before it stopped, landing in Erasa's embrace. "That looks so cute!" she squealed, trailing her hands over his earring. He grinned at her.

"I hope you're not going to badger me about my family life," he teased Videl, who growled and held her tongue.

"Not _yet_ ," she threatened with narrowed eyes. She ruffled his hair, taking off at a quick pace down the street. "Come on, we've got ten minutes to get back to school."

He'd agreed to come back for the Orange Star High spring festival at Erasa's request. He didn't really know what that entailed, but he followed along behind them anyway, trailing behind Videl as they entered the school grounds.

There were sparkles and decorations wrapped around every part of the buildings there, while booths decorated the grass and parking lots. "Let's go to that one first!" Erasa cheered, pulling them toward an apple-bobbing tent.

Videl got way too competitive and determined to succeed on her first try. The apple kept slipping out of her grasp, making her grab for it four times before she lifted it out of the bin with a growl. Gohan sweatdropped.

Erasa took nearly ten tries, laughing when she accidentally let go of the apple and let it drop to the ground. Sharpner boasted that it would take him only one try, but he ended up taking five.

Gohan neatly plucked the apple out on his first try, grinning naively and not noticing Videl glare at him with the closest thing to a pout she could produce.

Singeru joined them around noon, whacking Gohan's knees with his cane. "You were supposed to visit a month ago, brat."

"Sorry, Singeru-san," Gohan grinned sheepishly. "I got held up in Blue Town about fifty miles north. I was protesting outside the mayor's building to stop a forest from being torn down."

"I saw those pictures on the news," Sharpner said, sweatdropping. "They all looked like hippies with their faces painted and really colorful signs."

"It was fun! The forest is fine, too."

"Oh yeah! I brought gifts," Gohan flipped open the messenger bag he'd bought three months ago. He pulled out a few small wrapped packages, handing them off.

Singeru got a three-hundred year old book he'd won in a poker game in the North Capitol. Sharpner got a machete. He gave Erasa a ruby necklace he'd picked up from a peddler from the desert lands. Lastly, Videl received a pair of brass knuckles.

Sharpner gawked at his gift off to the side while Erasa clung to his neck and Videl slipped her gloves on. "Thank you thank you thank you!" Erasa squealed. "It's so pretty!"

"I figured you'd like that," Gohan sweatdropped. "How've you been, Videl?"

"Dad's taking me to a convention again tomorrow," Videl sighed, falling into step beside him as they meandered through the school grounds. "I hate them. I never got to fight anyone and he tries to make me wear dresses. All anyone does is sit around jabbering about his title and eating."

The eating part didn't sound too bad. "Eheh. Sorry. Maybe we can all go get dinner after you get back."

"Please."

"Don't cut yourself, Sharpner!"

"Where'd you even get this thing?" Sharpner asked, incredulous.

"This guy from the North who makes his own swords and knives. I saved his dog, so he gave it to me as thanks."

"Saved his dog from what?" Videl asked, arching one eyebrow.

"Dinosaur."

"A dinosaur?!" Erasa squeaked.

"Man," Sharpner complained. "You get all the adventures. It's so boring here."

Gohan rolled his eyes. "I don't think I could stay in one city and go to school every day for eighteen years."

"In our district, it's seventeen," Erasa smiled. "We get a leap year. That means we get a year off whenever we'd like, but if we don't use it we just graduate at seventeen."

"Oh," Gohan blinked. "You could come with me, then."

Sharpner stumbled, while Videl choked on the water she was drinking. "Come with you?" he asked, eyes boggled. "Seriously?! Man, I wish I could get my mom to agree to that."

"We could have a roadtrip!" Erasa said, jumping up and down. "Oh, we have to try! Do you think our parents will agree, Videl?"

"No," she snorted.

"Well, I'll come back any time you want to do it," Gohan said. "Just shoot me a text or call me and I'll come on back."

"You don't have a driver's license, though, so how would it be a roadtrip?" Videl asked, eyes narrow.

Gohan grinned and folded his arms behind his head. "I do know how to drive, but I took advantage of District 3's laws stating that anyone over the age of thirteen can get a license as long as they prove they need it and can reach the pedals. They have lots of kids that take care of their siblings or work. Long story short, I'm in their system as a kid from an orphanage in a village where they can't keep track of who's actually a citizen of their district or not. So I have a license."

"Sweet!" Sharpner exclaimed, pumping one fist in the air. "We're definitely coming one year."

Gohan didn't have any idea what he'd just committed to.

* * *

It seemed Hercule's convention had booked every hotel in the city. Gohan bustled through the nighttime crowd, trying to find Sharpner in his contacts list, which had grown so much he had a hard time finding anyone who wasn't Videl. Surely he had a couch he could crash on. He didn't want to barge in on Singeru this late.

Satan City was full of people waiting for the convention looking for places to have fun, mostly the wild type of fun. He had picked a busy street to traverse, and struggled not to get trampled.

And that was how he ended up getting shoved into a random line through the back of a nightclub, accidentally sliding inside in between two high-school aged guys. The place was loud and lights were flashing everywhere, giving Gohan the distinct impression these people were probably deaf and blind if they didn't realize how unpleasant this was.

"What're you doing in here, kid?" The bartender asked, raising her voice to be heard over the noise.

"I have no idea," Gohan yelled back, sliding into a seat. He knew he looked older than thirteen, but he couldn't pass as sixteen. "I was outside and the crowd sort of shoved me in."

"Oh, well, gotta live a little!" she laughed, mixing a drink for someone else at the bar. She poured something into a glass, sliding it his way. "Non-alcoholic, on the house."

He thanked her and sipped on the drink, wary even if he'd seen her make it. It tasted like fruit.

"This is good," he told her. "What is it?"

"Strawberry daiquiri," she replied.

Gohan finished his glass and headed for the door, sneaking out past the men filtering customers. He'd gotten used to the noise and lights, making the street blaringly bland to look at.

This time, he ended up in a club made for teenagers, where the bar didn't serve any alcohol. The walls were painted black with white polka-dots, and the lounge portion was separate from the dance floor, where each floor panel flashed a different color, much to his relief. Everything had a chrome, modern look to it, a vivid contrast with the small villages he'd been spending his time in. The bar stools swiveled, alternating between black, pink and neon green-colored seats, and the booths lining the walls were each their own circular little alcove with beaded curtains tied back in front for privacy if a customer wanted it. Some pop tune he didn't recognize boomed through the speakers on the ceiling, which was made up entirely of mirrors.

"What'll have ya?" the girl behind the counter asked, grinning toothily. She had a tiny chalkboard around her neck that said _Karin_.

Gohan glanced down at the menu, literally engraved on the bar top. "Just a Coke."

"Coming up!" she rolled away on roller skates toward a line of fridges on the wall exuding cold air. The doors were made of glass, polished to perfection.

She rolled back and plopped a bottle on the bar in front of him. Smiling politely, he popped it open and took a sip, startled when someone grabbed his shoulder.

"Gohan?!" a girl behind him asked. Gohan swiveled around, eyebrows drawing together in confusion.

"Um, do I know you, miss?"

"It's me! Chico!"

For a moment, the name didn't ring a bell, but as he looked more closely, he recognized her with a jolt. Her hair was long and dun up in twin buns on either side of her head, and she wore a shirt done in in the style of a kimono with cherry blossoms decorating the collar and plain black pants paired with a pair of flats. "Oh Kami, Chico! I'm so sorry I didn't recognize you!" he exclaimed, quickly getting to his feet and letting her hug him.

"It's been so long!" she exclaimed, leaning back with her hands still on his arms. "I can't believe I found you! Did you find your mom?"

"Um, kind of. That's a long story. Where've _you_ been? The last I saw you, the city was taking you guys away!"

"That's…long story," she said sheepishly. She pointed to a booth with the curtains drawn. "Come on. I'll explain it all."

He grabbed his Coke and followed her, ducking into the booth and sliding into the seat. A brunet boy looked up in surprise, a chip dripping with nacho dip halfway into his mouth. "Who's thish?" he asked.

"It's Gohan!" Chico exclaimed, slapping the chip out of his hand and back onto the plate on the table. "You remember Rom, right Gohan?"

"Of course I do!" Gohan grinned, watching as the boy's eyes lit up.

"Gohan?!" he squawked in surprise, shimmying over to Gohan's side of the booth. "I can't believe it! Chico, where'd you find him?!"

"He was at the bar!" Chico grabbed a chip and stuff it into her mouth. "Small world, isn't it?"

"How are you two _here_?" Gohan asked, wide-eyed as he glanced between them. "Didn't the orphanage take you?"

"Yeah, we were stuck there for a few years," Rom explained. He wore a dark brown jacket with a high collar over a black shirt with about a thousand pockets and black jeans with tears in the knees. "About a year back, though, we managed to finally get away. We've been on the run ever since. We started out just hitchhiking across the country, usually on farmers' trailers."

"Have you two been all right?" Gohan asked, eyes round with concern.

"We ran into a lot of snags on the way," Chico leaned on her hand and frowned. "We made the mistake of getting a ride with this guy who tried to force us into working at a sweatshop. We only got away by going through the basement window. That's how I got this." She pulled up her sleeve to reveal a bandage covering half her forearm.

"That's horrible," Gohan said, and Chico thought his was the exact expression of the emoji 'D:'.

"We're hanging out in this city for now because the police don't … well, police the downtown areas much," Rom continued. "You wouldn't believe what some people get away with. We've been coming to this club every night to sleep for a few hours in a booth. Generally, they only really make you leave if you stay past three a.m. They close at four." He rubbed his cheek with his knuckles, and Gohan noticed the circles starting to appear under his eyes.

"So you're not going anywhere in particular?" he asked with a frown.

"Just trying to get by until we can find some place we can work and we're legal," Chico replied.

"Why don't you come with me, then?"

"What?" Rom raised his eyebrows, as thin as his sister's. "You mean you don't live here?"

Gohan grinned, rubbing his elbow. "Um, no. I'm kind of in the same boat as you guys."

They both gave him curious expressions. With a light sigh, he began to explain his situation.

"Are you sure staying away from your mother is the right thing to do?" Chico asked. Gohan felt guilty suddenly- here these two were, with no family but each other, and he was actively denying his own.

He shrugged, staring at the table. "I think I was starting to get arthritis from sitting in a chair all day," he joked. "My mother wasn't going to let me focus on what I wanted to do with my life, and just try to shape me into what she wanted. So I ran away. I'm sorry, that must be incredibly insensitive to say to you two."

"Don't feel bad, Gohan," Chico patted his shoulder. "Everyone's situation is different. It's not like we didn't run away from a warm bed and food every day at the orphanage. We just wanted something different, something better."

Rom nodded along with her. "Yeah, and besides. You seem like a free spirit anyway." Gohan swallowed the last of his Coke, wiping his mouth with the back of his wrist.

"I was actually looking for a hotel when I came in here, but they're all booked up for the Satan convention tomorrow."

That seemed to remind them of something, as they both straightened and went wide-eyed. "By the way," Chico said. "We've been meaning to ask you…"

"We don't think Hercule Satan could've ever taken on Cell," Rom said bluntly, making Gohan choke on his spit. "I know you're not blond, but when we saw the broadcast all we could think is that kid looked just like you and remembered your unusual strength from that time with the orphanage. Was it you?"

"Erm- I, uh-" Gohan stammered, grabbing the edge of the table as if it functioned as a barrier between them.

"It was! Oh, tell me how you did it, Gohan!" They both scooted around until they sat on either side of him, trapping him in the booth.

"W-well," Gohan started to laugh. "I'm sort of…half…alien?"

They stared at him.

* * *

It was closing time by the time he got through explaining his life to them. Even then, they asked him to give them a display. He led them through back alleys and dark, dank streets to the edge of the city, standing just slightly behind a dumpster and looking around to make sure no one saw him.

"Okay," he said, unusually serious. "Don't scream, okay?"

They nodded. Gohan slowly rose from the ground a few inches, holding up both hands. Two small energy blasts lit up his palms, glowing brightly in the night and illuminating their entranced faces.

Almost agonizingly slow, he brought his power level up. He had figured out that, if he were extremely careful, he could turn Super without destroying his bracelet. His hair flashed golden in the darkness, while his eyes flickered green.

"I can't believe it," Chico whispered, eyes hazy with awe.

"Well believe it, sis," Rom muttered, one eye slightly wider than the other. "I can't believe we made friends with an alien."

"I'm an Earthling, technically," Gohan laughed, letting himself fall out of Super Saiyan and drift to the ground.

"This is amazing!" Chico suddenly squealed, jumping up and down while clapping her hands in a way reminiscent of Erasa. "Gohan, can you teach us too?"

Rom startled, eyes lighting up. "Yeah! Teach us!"

"Uh…I guess. I don't see why not. It'll be a while before you can do the things I can, though," Gohan said, taking out his phone to check the time. "Right now, let's get some breakfast, and we can start tomorrow- er, today."

Eleven hours later, Gohan waited outside Orange Star High (why hadn't they changed the name to Satan High yet? Maybe the parents had kicked up a fuss…) for Sharpner and Erasa. "Sharpner can be a little bit mean at first," he told them, "but he has a good heart. Erasa doesn't really know what it's like to be hungry or not have a warm bed to sleep in, either, so please be patient with her. They're both good people. They just take getting used to."

"Of course, Gohan," Chico reassured him. "They're your friends. I'm sure they're lovely people."

Gohan spotted two blond heads weaving toward them through the crowd of students. Waving them over, he bounced on his feet a little bit nervously, watching each set of friends eye each other.

"Sharpner, Erasa, this is Rom and Chico, old friends of mine," he introduced.

"Yo!" Rom waved and eye-smiled at them. "It's nice to meet you."

"Hi! It's nice to meet you too! When did you two meet Gohan?" Erasa bubbled, shaking his hand.

"Oh, when we were little," Chico said smoothly. "We met up with him again today."

Sharpner started whistling, glancing around. "Say, we should get going. Videl's probably not going to get to the restaurant until six, but it's across town, and there's an arcade nearby we can hang out at until she gets there."

"Videl Satan?" Rom asked, sounding strangled. Gohan saw the corners of his eyes twitch as he struggled to hold back a laugh, and glared at him over Erasa's head.

"Yeah," Sharpner inflated slightly. "Been friends with her since we were kids. I'm her dad's personal pupil."

"That's amazing," Chico said in a fake awed voice, snickering behind her hand when they weren't looking.

"Let's get going," Gohan sweatdropped.

* * *

"Swerve right! Swerve right!" Sharpner yelled, throwing his whole body into it as he turned his car on screen. Gohan sweated, fiddling with his controls before his vehicle crashed and sent a red banner trickling over his screen. Erasa started laughing.

Rom and Chico's team won by a mile, making Sharpner turn and bonk Gohan lightly over the head with his controller. "Seriously, dude?! Haven't you ever played a game in your _life_?"

"No," Gohan laughed.

"How sheltered _were_ you?"

Gohan rubbed the back of his head. "Um, I don't know."

The doors slid open, and they all peaked around the gaming stations toward the front of the building where a disgruntled Videl stood with her hands on her hips. She spotted them and narrowed her eyes at Rom and Chico. "I figured you'd be here," she huffed, stomping over. "I've been waiting ten minutes!"

Gohan checked his watch. _6:14_. "Oops," he said. "Sorry?"

"We really got into it?" Sharpner winced.

She slapped them both upside the head. "Whatever. Let's go. Who're these two?"

"Old friends of Gohan!" Erasa chirped.

Her eyes narrowed to slits as she looked them up and down. "'Old friends'?" she asked suspiciously.

Gohan slid toward the door, laughing. "Yup! Old friends! Rom, Chico, this is Videl, let's get going we have a reservation we're late for! Aahahaha."

He could feel Videl's stare on his back all the way to the restaurant and their booth. He put Rom in between them, garnering a glare from his friend. He shrugged at him with a weak smile.

Already knowing his eating habits, the table left the appetizers all to him, despite his protests in the sake of politeness. An awkward silence hung in the air until Erasa turned to Chico, beaming. "So, do you guys go to school here?"

"Uh, no, we're uh, actually going to be travelling with Gohan," Chico replied, smiling anxiously.

"All three of you?" Videl examined them closely. Gohan stuffed a handful of chips into his mouth.

"Yep. Our aunt and uncle know him and they're okay with us taking a roadtrip with him," Rom shrugged.

"Aunt and uncle?" Erasa asked thoughtlessly.

"Our parents died a while ago," Chico said, trying not to sound sad.

"Oh! I'm so sorry!" Erasa clapped a hand over her mouth.

"It's okay," Chico smiled at her.

"Actually," Gohan grinned with closed eyes. "I was hoping to get on the road soon. We'd better head out."

"Oh! Do you have to leave so soon?" Erasa pouted and scooted out of the booth, letting Chico out.

"Sorry," Gohan apologized. "I was hoping to catch a train to Cararu City in the morning. They're having a medieval fair this week."

"Man, you get to do everything," Sharpner groaned, laying his head on the table.

Gohan laughed. "Convince your parents to let you roadtrip with someone they've never met and we'll talk," he said, patting the blond on the shoulder. "I'll see you later, Videl."

"Don't die out there," Videl cautioned, and he chuckled, clapping her on the shoulder as he passed by. Rom and Chico followed him out, waving.

None of them saw Videl staring with eyes as thin as slits at their backs.


	4. Chapter 4

"Got a long list of ex-lovers, they'll tell you I'm insaaaane," Chico sang along to the radio, dancing as best one could in a car seat. Rom rolled his eyes from the back, kicking the back of her seat.

"Shuddup. No one likes your singing voice."

Gohan took an exit off the highway. It still felt surreal to drive- he'd always thought of it as something adults did. In general, he felt like a dog walking along with its leash in its mouth, not quite sure of what to do but going to do it anyway.

"Gohan does! Don't you, Gohan?" Chico asked, swiveling her head to look at him. Gohan sighed.

She stared at him with pleading eyes.

"Actually, I… _got a blank space, baby_ ," Gohan belted out, just to annoy Rom, who groaned and flopped bodily into the backseat, burying his face into it. "What's the matter, Rom? Don't you like our singing voices?"

"Hate you. Hate you both."

Chico giggled, turning the radio up. Gohan whistled along as he entered Cararu City through a large bridge over the river below. It was at least a mile wide, the largest in the district.

Gohan turned down the radio as they came to a toll booth. "All right, children, the adults need money. Change?"

They both rifled through their pockets and the car's various compartments, depositing their findings in his palm.

The man at the booth squinted at him. "How old are you, kid?"

"Old enough to drive, old enough to thrive!" Gohan said cheerily, giving him a smile as he pulled forward. "Nosy," he muttered as they pulled away.

Chico leaned over the driver's compartment between them and poked his earring. "Say, I forgot to ask, when'd you get this? I like it."

"Few months back," Gohan grinned. "I have a feeling my mom isn't too happy about it." He shuddered just thinking about her wrath.

"That's too bad! It's cute." He blushed slightly, turning down a side street. She pulled a map book out of the glovebox and flipped it open, scanning the map of Cararu City. Luckily enough, it was at least large enough to be featured. "There should be a hotel on the next street we can stay at."

There were signs everywhere advertising the fair. Gohan pulled up to a four-story building that was a nice beige color, surrounded by similar places. He parallel parked (much to Rom's chagrin, as he could never get that down despite Gohan's lessons) and led them inside, fiddling with his keys.

The woman at the desk gave them a suspicious look. "Do you have any vacancies?" Gohan asked, hoping it wasn't reservation-only. It didn't _look_ too upscale, but one could never be sure.

She flipped through her log book. "Yeah. Two beds?" Gohan nodded. "How long?"

"Five nights."

"Here for the fair?"

"Yes Ma'am."

"331.78 zeni."

That took a good chunk of his stash. Usually, he stayed at cheap motels that cost ten bucks a night or slept on a roof somewhere. However, he wasn't going to let Rom and Chico sleep out in the cold. Taking the required bills from his wallet, he handed them to her, only for Rom to grab his wrist and trade out several for his own.

"Gotta carry our weight, brother," he said good-naturedly, making Gohan grin at him. The receptionist handed him a key that read _203._

Gohan snatched a postcard out of a rack by the elevator on his way up. The front had a picture of one of the most expensive, upscale hotels in the Central Capitol- twelve stories high, fountain out front, three different private pools and spa attractions as well as a twenty-four hour buffet- and the back read _May only the good things in life come to you_.

"For Goten?" Chico asked curiously, arms wrapped around her backpack.

Gohan nodded. "Maybe they'll think I'm in the Central Capitol and not look anywhere near here."

"Man, I'd love to stay at that place just once," Rom said wistfully.

Chico nodded in agreement. The elevator doors slid open, and Gohan led them to their room.

Rom insisted on visiting the elephants while they were in town, and Chico wanted to stop at the food vendors. Despite her small stature, she ate almost twice as much as her brother. She and Gohan quickly became food-buddies.

Gohan trailed after them while they buzzed around, eventually stopping near a ring in the park set up, leaning on the inside of a wooden fence that had been set up to keep spectators from getting too close. Two men were dressed up in armor with fake swords and shields with different coats of arms on them, play-fighting for the kids gathered.

"Back, you fiend!" one of them roared, much to the delight of the toddlers around. Gohan grinned and chuckled.

"You'll never win, Sir Goody-Two-Shoes!" the other replied, swiping at the first knight's sword. They clashed lightly together, but it made the kids gasp.

It made Gohan wish Goten were there with him.

"Ahah!" the "evil" knight grabbed Chico lightly by the arm, pulling her into the act while she giggled and tried to look afraid. "What will you do now, great one?" he put his "sword" to her throat.

"You miscreant! Using a young maiden to hide behind like a coward!" The kids watched in silence, wide-eyed.

"Mommy, he's gonna hurt dat lady!" A little boy whispered to his mother. She smiled down at him, hiding a laugh.

"Don't worry, the good knight will save her."

"Lay down your sword or else!" the knight holding onto Chico yelled. She bit her lip, trying to put on a scared face for the kids.

"Oh, won't someone help me?" she lamented. She reached out to Gohan and Rom. "My brothers! Why do you stand there doing nothing?"

"I dunno," Gohan said, elbowing Rom. "She's pretty annoying, maybe we shouldn't save her."

The kids around them started to giggle, and Gohan got the distinct impression that the "knights" were trying not to laugh beneath their helmets.

"How you wound me," Chico pouted.

A new 'knight' rode up onto the scene on a horse made of two people in a costume. "Hark! I've come to put a stop to your villainy, Champain!"

Gohan wanted to laugh at the ridiculousness of it all. Snickering slightly, he hid his face in the scarf he had taken to wearing.

"Mommy, that boy has an earring," a little girl whispered, pointing at Gohan's ear. Her mother looked up and frowned at him, moving them a few paces away. Rom patted Gohan on the shoulder while he wondered what was wrong with having an earring.

The knights set to fighting again, the newcomer managing to 'rescue' Chico, who pretended to swoon in his arms.

She made her way back over to them, snickering into her palm. After a few weeks of Gohan's training, she could probably punch any of these 'knights' out cold.

"Shall we go, milady?" Gohan asked, gesturing toward the elephant rides. Three streets were closed off for them.

She curtsied, lifting her shirt tails in lieu of a skirt. "We shall, sir."

They wandered around for the rest of the fair, spending every night watching bad television. Gohan fancied it just because he'd never watched TV before in his life. Gohan eventually made his way back toward Mount Paozu, staying in Lime's village for a night before he told his friends his plan.

"You're going to steal your brother for a day?" Chico asked with a sweatdrop. Lime had been overjoyed to see Gohan again, seeing as her parents had passed and she was quite lonely with only her grandfather.

"Gohan can do anything he sets his mind to," she said, grinning. Gohan blushed at the praise.

"Yeah, that's why I need you guys to be ready to be my getaway. My friends won't bother searching random villagers' cars, but they will notice me or Nimbus flying away," he explained as they stood in front of Lime's cottage.

"Just be careful!" Chico waved him off as he started to trudge up the mountain, excitement making his stomach churn.

He perched in a tree outside his home, watching ChiChi wash the dishes and feeling nostalgia wash over him. He'd been in this situation once before, when he had met Chico and Rom.

A little boy came running up to ChiChi, pulling on her apron. She looked down and smiled, saying something and patting him on the head. Gohan's heart hurt; Goten looked just like Goku.

He waited for sundown, watching as ChiChi tucked Goten into his crib and pressed a kiss to his forehead before retiring for the night. When he felt her energy lower as she fell asleep, he slipped in through the window, poking his head over the side of the crib. He noted the map pinned up on the wall and the two red pins in it with immense pleasure, as well as the pictures and postcards taped onto the opposite wall.

Goten's eyes went wide. "Go'an!" he squealed.

Gohan pressed a finger over his lips. Goten clapped both hands over his mouth, giggling. "Wanna go have fun, squirt?" Goten nodded enthusiastically.

Gohan grinned and searched out a tiny jacket ChiChi had gotten him. He lifted Goten out of the crib and wrapped him up in it, holding the boy securely on one hip as he floated out of the window and into the air.

"Oooh!" Goten went, eyes wide. "Flyin!"

"Yep, we're flying. When you get older, I'll teach you how," Gohan grinned. The toddler cheered as they rose through the air, holding onto Gohan's neck when he started doing loops.

Gohan lowered himself into a tree, settling Goten on his lap. "So how ya been, little brother?"

"Good!" Goten grinned, showing a gap in his front teeth. "I got all your presents!"

"Oh? Did you like them?"

Goten nodded so quickly his bangs smacked Gohan in the nose. "Than' you, Go'an," he giggled, laying his head against Gohan's chest over his heartbeat.

Gohan ruffled his hair. "Anything for you, Goten. I hope you don't mind me being gone so much."

"It fun!" Goten exclaimed, gesturing with his hands. "Twunks is jealish cuz he dun have a big brudder who goes places."

"Do you like seeing all the places I go?"

Goten nodded again. "I like findin' out where you are. Like the castle!"

Gohan chuckled, reminiscing about his time trampling around a lord's castle in the north. The place had been massive, surrounded by miles and miles of forest, and the man had tried to give him his daughter's hand in marriage when he'd saved his village from a mafia-like mob.

"Anything you want me to bring home for you?"

Goten put his chin in both hands, lower lip sticking out as he thought. "Hmmmmm."

Gohan waited patiently until the tot's eyes lit up. "An _ocean_ ," he yelled, waving his hands.

Gohan burst into laughter. "Sorry, squirt. Even I can't bring you an ocean."

"But you can do anything!"

"Still, the ocean's pretty big. Where would you keep it?"

Goten frowned. "I dunno."

"All right, next best thing: I'll bring you a fish and some water from the ocean, but you have to promise to take care of it."

"I pwomise!" Goten nodded quickly, folding his hands together.

Gohan grinned. "Okay, squirt. Some ocean it is. Now then, I have some friends for you to meet."

Gohan returned Goten at dawn, waving one last time as he snuck out the window. He made his way back down to the village, spotting Chico on the hood of the car and Rom and Lime standing outside her house. Lime looked uncharacteristically nervous.

"What's up?" he called, landing just in front of them.

"I wanted to ask you something," Lime said, wringing her hands. "As you know, my parents died last year, and it's been very difficult since then. I've been very lonely since and- I'm not trying to get your pity! But…I wondered if you wouldn't tolerate me coming with you. My grandfather wants me to see the world beyond our little village."

Gohan blinked in surprise before grinning. "Of course you can come with us! You're our friend, you're always welcome!"

Mr. Lao ambled out the front door, arms behind his back. "For that I thank you, Gohan. I know my Lime wants to travel, and I know she'll be safe with you. Please take care of her."

"Grandpa!" Lime whined. "I don't need taken care of!"

He chuckled and smiled down at them warmly. "You should go get your luggage, Lime. They need to leave soon."

Lime nodded and ran into the house, a bounce in her step. She returned a minute later with a small suitcase, hefting it in her arms. Gohan took it from her so she could hug her grandfather goodbye, pecking him on the cheek before climbing into the backseat.

"Thank you for having us, Lao-san," Gohan bowed at the waist, having put the suitcase into a storage capsule. "I promise I won't let anything happen to Lime."

Lao smiled with his eyes closed at him. "I'm sure of that. Thank you for indulging us, Gohan. I have complete faith in you."

Chico and Rom had switched places, Rom in the passenger seat with a map in his hands and Chico in the back talking to Lime. Gohan crossed to the driver's side, swinging his keys on one finger, and slid into his seat, starting the ignition.

They all waved at Lao as he became smaller and smaller the farther away they got, rising into the air. "Where you wanna go first, Lime?" Gohan asked, eyeing her in the mirror.

She thought for a moment before grinning. "I wanna learn how to fly."

Gohan should've known.

* * *

With four people in the vehicle, it started to become cramped. Gohan stopped at a capsule store and traded his four-seater in for a small camper just larger than a van, much more suited to a roadtrip; it had a rack on top for storage, as well as a mini-table in back just behind the front seat and cabinet storage. In back, there was a small cot that folded up vertically against the wall when the seats weren't being used.

The trio took turns filling Lime in on the happenings in their lives as they went cross-country. The first place Gohan took them was East City, where they visited the world's largest amusement park. At Chico's request, they visited the Central Capitol, toured the king's palace, and snuck in to spend a night at the city's luxury hotel ("We're ninjas now!"), hiding out in a supply closet. Normally Gohan would never break and enter anywhere, but he couldn't say no when her eyes started watering.

Rom had them visit the rest of the orphans Gohan had met in his childhood, give them a three-week workshop on martial arts and ki usage, and take off for Satan City again.

Erasa ended up taking them all shopping with Videl's credit card, despite their modest protests. In her words, "If we're going out you have to look good enough I can post on Instagram".

To Gohan's delight, Erasa's parents had okay-ed her going with them for a few months, while Sharpner's father didn't really care either way. Videl was the only one who didn't have permission, as Hercule refused to let her go with anyone he didn't know.

Which was why they were standing in the Satan gym, waiting for him to get through with a "training session" that mostly involved him teaching bad form and bragging.

"All right, Videl!" he boomed, walking over to where they lounged on a bench. Gohan stood up respectfully. "Who's the little punks wanting to take my precious daughter away from home?"

"That'd be us," Rom said, a tinge of sarcasm in his voice.

"They're really nice people, Mr. Satan," Erasa gushed.

Hercule narrowed his eyes. "I won't allow my Videl to go with three _boys_ unattended."

"Come _on_ , Dad," Videl said, tone sour. She sat with her arms crossed, looking grumpy. "We already talked about this."

"Videl, I'm sorry, but it's too risky! How do I know they won't try anything?"

Her eyes slid over to him, stormy. "I doubt there's much risk…considering what we talked about the other day."

Hercule blanched, laughing nervously. "Videl, come on, you know that wasn't true!"

"Oh really?" Videl stood, planting her fists on her hips. "Then let me go with them and I won't tell anyone."

"T-tell anyone what, sweetie!" Hercule laughed, glancing around.

She growled audibly. "Daddy. I'm. Not. Taking. No. For. An. Answer!" she jabbed a finger in his face.

Gohan could see Hercule crumbling. "But sweetie…"

"Don't 'but sweetie' me! I'm going, and that's final!"

Gohan couldn't help but feel impressed as he followed Videl mutely out of the gym. If he had to use one word to describe Videl, it would be _fierce_.

Videl stomped to a street corner and stopped abruptly, whirling around with a scowl. Gohan stopped short, stumbling. "Gohan."

"Um, yes?" Gohan squeaked, gulping when she got in his face.

Her eyes narrowed to slits. "I know you killed Cell."

Erasa and Sharpner gaped, while Gohan paled. "Um, what?"

She whipped a folder out of her messenger bag, flipping it open and showing him a series of photos. Several were of the Cell Games footage, while a few others showed him lifting things in the shop that normal kids shouldn't be able to lift or practicing his form.

"Are you _stalking_ me?" Gohan squawked. He was, however, impressed that she had managed to put it together.

"I know you killed Cell!" Videl repeated, growling. "I know that it's not light shows and wires."

"Videl, do you hear yourself?" Sharpner asked incredulously, stepping closer to them. "This is Gohan we're talking about! You know, book nerd, takes care of sick birds, couldn't hurt a fly?"

Videl ignored him. "Teach me how to fly and use those attacks," she ordered, and Gohan sweatdropped. Just how many pupils was he going to get?!

"I…I…okay," he gave in, making her smirk in triumph.

"What's going on?" Erasa squeaked.

"I guess I should show you two," Gohan gave them an apologetic look. "Let's go, there's a deserted alley nearby I can show you."

* * *

"I can't believe this," Sharpner said dumbly, sitting on the roof of an abandoned building as Gohan hovered in midair and Videl slowly rose a few inches into the air. "I can't believe this."

"I can't believe this," Erasa repeated.

Chico and Rom sweatdropped at them from the air. They were only a few feet off the ground, but Gohan often had them and Lime just hover for an hour to build up their stamina.

Erasa suddenly leapt up, running forward. "Teach me! Teach me!"

A large chunk of Sharpner's worldview had just been torn down and danced on in front of his eyes, but he wasn't about to be the only one who couldn't fly. "Teach me too!" he yelled, following after her.

Gohan facepalmed. "I guess if we're going to be living together I might as well teach all of you," he sighed. "But first? Sharpner, I'm correcting your stance. And how you punch…and kick. And…" He started listing everything wrong with what the boy did during spars, making his shoulders sag.

"Before any of that, though, you guys need to go home and get everything you need for the trip," said Gohan, lowering himself to the roof. He examined his friends, and felt happiness bloom in his heart as he watched Rom and Chico bicker, while Lime snickered at them, and Videl focus so intensely she looked like she was furious, and Sharpner and Erasa's dumb expressions, starting to laugh.

He wasn't lonely anymore.

* * *

"What do you mean your friends were all middle-aged men and women?" Erasa asked incredulously. "You didn't have _any_ friends your age?"

Gohan shrugged, one hand on the wheel. "Not really. But I didn't mind."

Erasa flung one arm over her eyes. "I can't believe this." She pulled out her phone and started typing away. A moment later, she shoved it in his face.

He recognized the Instagram app by now. She was about to post a picture of them all in one of Scout's- the nightclub he'd met Chico and Rom in- circular booths, curtains drawn. Videl had one hand on the side of Lime's head as she reached across to bonk Rom over the head for something he'd said mocking her father, while Gohan looked like a worried spaz trying to settle them down. Sharpner was mid-bite with a sandwich, while Erasa grinned at the camera, completely unaware Chico was holding up her fingers behind her head to make them look like ears. She had tagged it #squadgoals.

"Why'd you tag it squad?" Gohan asked in confusion.

"Uh, you know. Like, your squad?" Erasa sweatdropped. "Tribe?" He continued to eye her in confusion. "Group of friends?"

"Oh," Gohan replied. "You're weird."

She just giggled at him.

Videl huffed from Erasa's right, leaning against the passenger door. Behind them, Chico manned Erasa's video camera, evidently filming something for their families to watch.

"Okay, everyone introduce themselves!" she called cheerily, making them groan simultaneously. "Oh, come on!"

She turned to Rom, demanding. He sighed and waved. His hair was tied in a ponytail, having grown out to his shoulders, and he wore a pair of jeans and his usual jacket over a tank top that sagged and showed part of his chest, _schooL is for Losers_ written across the front. Rom didn't actually think school was for losers, but he'd bought it for a dollar. He was nothing if not frugal. "I'm Rom."

"Say more than that, Rom."

"No."

She huffed and turned to Sharpner across from her. He wore jeans and a black tank, along with a necklace of yellow beads that matched Erasa's earrings. "I'm Sharpner Quil," he said with a large grin, tossing his hair over his shoulder. "Mr. Satan's star pupil."

"Sorry, did you say 'I'm Satan's star pupil'? I didn't know you were a devil worshipper, Sharpner," Gohan called back with a grin, the twinkle in his eyes hidden by a pair of sunglasses. He had to use two leather ties to keep his hair in a ponytail now, and he'd gotten a second earring in the same ear that was a large hoop. His jacket was buttoned up halfway, and he wore a bright blue scarf that looked oddly similar to Piccolo's gi sash.

"Whatever, nerd!" Sharpner huffed.

Giggling, Chico turned the camera to herself, waving. "I'm Chico. Rom is my brother. We met Gohan when we were really little. He must've been, like, four." Much to Rom's chagrin, she'd gotten her lip and left nostril pierced. She was still trying to convince Gohan to get one.

Swiveling the camera to the front seat, she zeroed in on Erasa. "I'm Erasa," the girl giggled, waving enthusiastically. "Hi, Mom! Hi Sis!"

Everyone had collectively bullied her (in the _friend_ way) into losing her frivolous clothing, switching out for jeans and a leather jacket. It seemed to hold some novelty for her, as she thought it was cool.

Videl looked the same as always, baggy white T-shirt, finger-less gloves, and biker shorts. "I'm Videl," she sighed in a put-upon way. "That's it."

"Videl _Satan_ ," Gohan whispered, snickering when she glared at him. "What? You can't expect me not to say it."

She rolled her eyes and let her head thunk against the glass.

"Introduce yourself!" Chico stage-whispered.

Gohan turned to the camera with a grin, holding up a peace sign. "I'm Gohan. I'm a pacifist, and whoever has a problem with that can-"

"Keep it PG!" Chico yelled.

He rolled his eyes. "I wasn't going to say anything bad."

"Keep going!"

"As I was saying, I'm a pacifist, and the only one here with a driver's license. You're all at my mercy. Mwahahaha."

Hanging out with them had certainly awakened his mischievous side. Laughing, Chico turned the camera to Videl, who had a slight blush adorning her cheeks. "What're we doing, Videl?"

Videl twitched and glared at her out of the corner of her eye. "We're on a roadtrip."

"To _where_?"

Videl shoved a hand over the camera lens. "Would you get that out of my face?"

Chico dodged her. "We're going _over the seas_ ," she said dramatically, turning to Lime.

"I'm Lime," Lime rolled her eyes. If anyone rolled their eyes anymore, Gohan supposed someone would end up with their eyes stuck. "And yes, I've heard all the jokes about fruit."

"We're going over the seas!" Chico squealed, camera shaking slightly. "What's over there, Gohan?"

"Only been once," Gohan replied. She turned the camera to stare at the back of his head. "It's a lot different than the districts here. Still under the king's rule, but more wild, less civilized. Lot more non-human citizens over there, more islands, and lots of desert on the mainland. It's divided into three districts, the Sand District- that's the main one, it's most of the inland- the Water District- the southern border of the mainland and the islands just off it- and the Fire District, which is the north tip of the continent and is named for the volcano it has. The last time it erupted was fifty-two years ago, completely demolishing the villages at its base."

"Nerd," Sharpner called from the back.

"Oh, shut up, Sharpner," Videl huffed.

"Well then." Chico turned the camera around and grinned into it. "Sharpner and Erasa and Videl's and Lime's families, by the time you see this we'll have footage of the trip uploaded with it! Hi, future you's!" she waved. "Stay tuned!"

* * *

Gohan adjusted his hat, a bead of sweat rolling down the side of his face. "It's so _hot_ ," Erasa groaned, having traded her jacket for a light shawl.

"Well, we are in the desert," Videl sassed as they trudged along in a line on their camels.

"I hope the camera doesn't melt," Chico said worriedly.

"It'll be fine," Lime grinned and leaned back on her camel, spreading her arms and soaking up the sun. "How long till we get to the village, Gohan?"

"Half an hour by camel," Gohan said. "After that they have taxis to take you further inland, but only so far. Then you go by foot or by horseback or camel."

"Excellent," Sharpner muttered sourly.

Gohan threw him a sympathetic look. Orange Star City didn't exactly reach 110 degrees every summer. "There's an oasis at the village where we can cool off. Don't worry, guys. It may feel hot now, but for the sights this place has, it is so worth it."

Gohan and Videl had been the only ones who hadn't gotten seasick on the ship over. Lime had made up a story to a workhand about having a special condition that required a better bed, leaving them all to suffer on cots in a supply room with three other passengers who got cheap tickets.

The village was small and dry, their only source of water the oasis Gohan mentioned. They filled their canteens and rented a cab, watching the desert fly by as they headed east. Soon a city came into view, fairly dusty but not all that different from the Capitols on their home continent.

At every street corner snake charmers, dancers, and flute or guitar artists performed for donations. Gohan dropped a bill into each one as they passed, heading toward the capitol building.

The group breathed a sigh of relief as they stepped into air conditioning. The city's capitol building was five stories high and open to the public, and had numerous information desks in the enormous front lobby. Erasa and Chico collapsed onto a bench, while Rom and Sharpner wandered off to find a place to eat. Lime and Videl trailed after Gohan as he walked up to a desk, leaning on the counter.

"How may I help you today?" The woman behind it asked.

"I need a transport to the Fire District," Gohan said. She started to type away on her computer.

"We have two scheduled for today and tomorrow. One's at eleven tonight and the next ten tomorrow morning. After that, the next one won't come for two weeks," she said.

Gohan nodded. "Seven tickets for the eleven o'clock one."

He took out his wallet, but Videl stopped him, handing him a wad of cash. "Least I can do," she said, a small blush on her face. Lime tilteld her head as Gohan handed the woman the money.

They walked back over to Chico and Erasa, practically comatose. "Yo, guys, there's still things to see!" Gohan exclaimed, shaking Chico by the shoulder. He sweatdropped when they refused to rise. "Oi! Rom, Sharpner!"

The two came back over. "All right, I'm going out into the city and _someone_ ' _s_ coming to see the snakes dance with me," Gohan said, placing his hands on his hips. "Who's coming?"

Sharpner groaned, plopping down on the bench. "No way, man. I've had enough walking today."

Lime shook her head. "I'd rather rest for now."

Rom shrugged. "I'd rather stay with Chico, if that's all right with you."

Gohan pouted. "Nobody?" he whined, scuffing his feet and looking disappointed.

Videl bit her lip. She hated that look. "I'll go," she offered.

His face lit up like a Christmas tree. "Really? Awesome! You guys stay here, we'll be back by ten-thirty," he said with a grin, grabbing Videl's hand and running outside.

He weaved through the crowded streets, pulling her with him. He darted down a side street, stopping at the edge of a small crowd, putting a hand on her back to push her forward.

A small, elderly man sat on the sidewalk, a flute at his lips. The song he played was quiet and unassuming, barely able to be heard by those on the farthest edges of the crowd. A basket sat in front of him, small and delicate-looking.

Videl watched in fascination as two snakes rose out through different openings, weaving their bodies in the air to the beat of the song. They stretched toward the middle, wrapping around each other's bodies in an intricate dance that almost seemed like it was love story-themed.

The man's song started to slow. The snakes curled around each other, arching in the air and bending their heads together in the shape of a heart as the song finished. The crowd started clapping, while Videl applauded, too stunned for words.

"That was beautiful," she whispered to Gohan, jumping a little when she noticed how close he was standing.

He grinned. "Yeah, this guy's my favorite one here. Makes me want to learn how to do it." He scanned the area and grabbed her elbow, pulling her out of the crowd. "C'mon, there's a restaurant down the way that sells fried squid. I know that sounds disgusting, but it's amazing, I tell you."

Videl examined the piece of meat on her chopsticks with a slightly twitchy expression. "C'mon, just _try_ it," Gohan urged. "It's good!"

Face twisting sourly, she shoved it into her mouth, wincing as she prepared for the worst. A moment later, her eyebrows rose in surprise, mouth popping open slightly.

"It's…not that bad," she admitted, taking another bite while he smiled triumphantly.

"Told you!" he chirped, shoveling some of his own into his mouth.

Videl picked at her food, watching him ramble on about the methods they used to trap the squids without causing them any pain. His eyes were glowing and his smile never left his face, and he seemed so utterly _alive_.

He led her around most of the day, showing her his favorite shops. They mostly browsed, but she noticed him looking at a brilliant-looking choker encrusted with amethysts with noted fondness. He probably liked it just for the color, not the gem; purple was his favorite.

Videl slid out her credit card, wincing internally. Her father was going to kill her for this.

She gestured to the shopkeep behind Gohan's back, pointing to the piece while he went on about different blade types and their various uses in reference to the daggers in the case. The old man smiled and waited for Gohan to move on to the front of the shop before sliding the necklace out for her, placing it into a brown bag.

Videl walked over to the counter and slid her card over for him to swipe. Gohan followed her with a confused look. "What're you buying, Videl? Did you see something you liked?"

"Sure, let's go with that," Videl rolled her eyes, making the man smile.

"Here you are, miss," he handed her the bag.

Videl strode into the street, looking for a clothing store while Gohan followed her in puzzlement. She grabbed his wrist and dragged him into one and back to the dressing rooms where a mirror was propped up just outside, shoving him in front of it. "Close your eyes."

"Um, okay," Gohan sweatdropped. _Man, she's weird._

She slid the necklace out and wrapped it around his neck as quickly as she could, face turning beet red. He opened his eyes, looking confused, and gawked. "Videl, this was so expensive!"

"I don't care," she snapped. "Just shut up and take the gift, dork."

Flushing, he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "T-thanks, Videl."

"Whatever." Faces still red, they exited (or stomped out, in Videl's case) the store, heading back toward their friends.

* * *

"Where are we going, exactly?" Sharpner asked.

"The volcano!" Gohan grinned excitedly, shifting in his seat. The shuttle was mostly empty but for them and a man buried in a newspaper in the far corner. The individual overhead lights above each seat were the only thing illuminating the craft, leaving the other corners mostly dark. With a squeak of fear, Erasa had demanded the seat in between Videl, who sat by the window, and Chico, leaving Lime, Rom, Sharpner and Gohan on the outside, respectively. Videl stared out the window at the desert below as the shuttle streamed toward the Fire District, spotting caravans moving back and forth by their lanterns and little villages along the way. "It's a national attraction!"

"But it's a _volcano_ ," Rom said.

"It hasn't erupted in years," Gohan assured. "It's dormant, completely safe. They have tours to the top of it."

"I want to see the volcano!" Lime cheered, pumping a fist up and down.

"If you say so," Sharpner muttered.

"Besides, if anything happens I can just fly us all out of there before any lava hurts us!" Gohan said. "Rom can fly pretty well now, too. We'll be completely safe."

Chico glared at her brother for being ahead of her, while he preened under the praise.

"If it _did_ erupt, that would make such cool footage," Lime said.

"Lime!" Erasa squeaked.

"What?! It would!"

Chico rolled her eyes and put the video camera away, satisfied that nothing exciting would be happening anytime soon.

A smile tugged at Videl's lips. There was something about boarding a plane with friends, on the open road, with their freedom in their hands to go anywhere they wanted that made her happy. Even if she acted grumpy a lot, she enjoyed being with them all- even Gohan's rants about books, Lime's tendency to make up stories or lie to people, Erasa's complaining that there weren't any malls around, Sharpner's tendency to gloat.

She supposed that's what friends were- people who looked past what they found annoying and stuck around because they cared.

Glancing at Gohan, she thought to herself that she was glad she had found the friends she had.


	5. Chapter 5

"Psst! Guys, wake up!" Gohan exclaimed, shaking Videl's and Erasa's shoulders as he leaned over them from the row behind them to peer out the window. "We're here!"

"Nngh," Sharpner slurred eloquently, eyes half-closed.

"Are we at the volcano?" Chico yawned and rubbed her eyes.

"Please make sure your seatbelts are on. We my experience some turbulence as we land," said the pilot of the intercom.

"Sit down, Gohan," Lime mumbled, still half asleep.

Gohan rolled his eyes and stayed by the window, not at all bothered by the bumpy landing. He reached up to the overhead compartments and pulled down their bags- all small enough to be carried on the hip, since they kept most of their things in capsules. Having city kids along turned out to be beneficial, as they now had a house capsule, and didn't have to sleep in the van anymore.

They followed him down the steps outside, wincing at the bright sunlight, waking up enough to gaze around in awe. They were at the edge of the mainland, where the desert slowly transitioned into a sandy area with some grass growing, and the ocean's waves flowed up onto the walkways. In the distance, a mountaintop loomed on an island, connected by a long bridge that would take at least ten minutes to walk across.

There were several docks around the bridge for small ferries, and they could see large oceanliners and supply ships a few miles away along the shore. Videl shielded her eyes against the sun as they headed down the hill, taking their shoes and socks off and rolling up their pants when they reached the wet area.

"This is amazing," Erasa voiced her appreciation, not even upset she had to get her feet dirty.

"Sure is," Lime squinted at the volcano, tying her sneakers by the laces onto the strap of her bag. "You filming this, Chico?"

"Of course," Chico replied, eye to her camera lens. "Bet you don't see this in Satan City every day, do you?"

They walked up the steps to the bridge, moving closer together so the crowd wouldn't break them up. Most people were crossing in groups of three or less, mostly tourists. They started on like a small mob, shorter than everyone there.

"No," Sharpner said, eyes wide with awe. He hadn't been very enthusiastic about visiting, but seeing the wonder in person stunned him. "It's so…so…"

"Beautiful," Videl muttered, pulling her hat down to shield her eyes from the sun. Gohan had insisted on buying them all one, saying one couldn't traverse the desert with it.

Gohan grinned, folding his arms behind his head. "Just wait until you see it up close."

* * *

The waves lapped lightly at the bridge's foundations as they walked to the island, moving down onto grassy land. There was a small village at the base of the volcano, but beyond on either side jungle thrived. Locals sat out strumming guitars or doing routines with brightly-colored birds for travelers.

"There's a system of caves nearby that lead into the volcano," Gohan said. "We'll need a map for that so we don't get lost, but I know the paths leading up pretty well. Just wait till we get to the top."

"And it's totally safe, right?" Erasa asked.

"Yep. Hasn't erupted in over fifty years, and before that, four hundred. The last eruption was on the other side of the mountain and didn't even reach the water before solidifying. Classified as dormant."

"Well let's go then! No use waiting around all day," Sharpner complained, starting to run toward the village. They all jogged to keep up with him, while Gohan took the lead and kicked up sand in Sharpner's face, laughing.

"Why can't we just fly up there?" Erasa complained, holding Sharpner's arm in a death grip as they walked up the path. A rope railing was the only thing keeping tourists from plummeting to their deaths.

Gohan looked over his shoulder and grinned, at the front of his group with Videl on his right. Rom and Chico were behind them talking to Lime. "Half the fun is the climb!" he called down, stepping onto one of the wooden platforms built on the path. It was held up only by wooden stilts that, while they looked sturdy enough, only made Erasa more nervous.

Videl stomped up beside him, panting lightly and trying not to show it. Gohan snapped a quick picture of the view before moving on, walking up messy, uneven steps that had been carved out of the stone.

Videl looked over the railing and gulped, steeling herself before following him. She wasn't particularly afraid of heights, but even she was feeling nervous up here.

Chico's legs shook as Rom and Lime held her hands, helping her up the steps to make sure she didn't trip. Sharpner had to carry Erasa over the platform, as she refused to step on it.

"Trip down's a lot easier!" Gohan called, a laugh in his voice.

"Going down actually seems scarier," Videl sweatdropped. The midafternoon sun was high in the sky, and they were only halfway up.

* * *

"Back when people first settled here," Gohan explained to the camera Videl held, "they carved a path out of what they thought was a mountain to reach the top and make sacrifices to their idol. They were quite advanced, though- the only reason the steps are so sloppy is that they've decayed after hundreds of years and the mountain's rock was so hard to cut through." He pointed in the camera like a parent chastising their kid. "Anyone who tells you our ancestors were dumb or uncivilized cavemen has a frankly concerning misunderstanding of history."

Videl sweatdropped. "You'd make a good teacher."

"Would I?" Gohan looked up at her and grinned.

Pebbles scrambled under Videl's foot, making her trip. Her heart briefly dropped into her chest as she tipped in the direction of the edge, but Gohan's arm around her waist pulled her back swiftly and set her on her feet again. "And then the settlers-" Gohan continued, as if he had barely noticed and just reacted on habit, offering her his hand.

After a moment of hesitation, Videl slipped her hand into his. His grip was firm like steel, but didn't hurt. She turned the camera back to him as he rambled on.

Thus they continued to the top of the volcano, stepping onto the rocky but relatively flat top with sighs of relief from everyone except Gohan. They peered down over the edge into the abyss.

"Wow," Erasa said quietly.

"I've actually been down there before, just to check it out. Found some cool gemstones," Gohan said cheerily.

Rom picked up a pebble and tossed it in, and they listened in silence. No echo came back.

Lime whistled. "Wow. Deep, ain't it?"

"Yup. I don't know how far down I went, but man is it dark," Gohan laughed. "Hey, you know what's even more fun?"

Their eyes on him, he walked over to the edge and grinned at them before taking hold of the post at the top of the path and leaning completely over, one foot on the edge.

"Eek! Gohan!" Erasa shrieked.

"Guys! I can _fly_ ," Gohan sweatdropped.

"I-I know, but just- don't!"

"Oh, c'mon. It's fun! Does anyone want to try? I'll hold onto you."

"No way, I don't trust you not to drop me," Lime shook her head rapidly, making him pout.

"I think I'll pass," Sharpner muttered, Erasa nodding in agreement.

Videl bit her lip. "Fine, if you're all such sissies," she huffed, crossing her arms as she strode over. Gohan went 'Yay!~' and out his hands.

Videl uneasily set her hands inside his, planting one foot on the edge. Stomach churning, she paused uncertaintly. "It's okay if you don't want to," Gohan told her.

Twitching, Videl's competitive spirit took over as she let go of one of his hands and practically threw herself forward, making Erasa shriek. Her foot slid until she was on her toes, extended so far it looked as if she were in some sort of waltz dip. Gohan's hand didn't budge a centimeter.

Heart pounding, Videl slowly looked down, the wind rustling her hair. Below, rocks decorated the cliff as it cut sharply downward and led into forest, hundreds of feet below. Was this what flying felt like?

"You okay?" Gohan asked.

Videl nodded.

"All right, now come back in!" Chico squeaked.

Gohan gently tugged her back. She turned around, landing solidly on the ground with both of his arms around her as he grinned and patted her on the shoulder.

"See? Told you it's fun!"

* * *

"These stalactites have been here for two hundred years," Gohan said, the light on his forehead shining brightly through the darkness as he led them through the cave network, a map clutched tightly in his hands. "The lower caves flooded, and the force of the waters hollowed out several tunnels, making the network even more complex. Careful, there's an edge here."

They each shuffled sideways along the wall, keeping far away from the edge that led into perpetual darkness. A rope tied their belts together, and Sharpner and Rom pointed their flashlights at the ground and path ahead.

"And here," Gohan grinned, stopping below a tunnel in the ceiling, "leads up to a room in the cliff that was used for meditation. They never knew where it led. Who wants to go up?"

"Not me," Erasa squeaked. "I've had my fill of going high places."

"Me," Videl volunteered.

"And me!" Lime edged forward around Rom.

"Okay, the rest of you stay here. C'mon, you two." They untied the ropes on their clothes.

Gohan took Videl's hand and Videl took Lime's. He rose up slowly but steadily through the opening, taking them with him like connected compartments of a train. He flew up through the tunnel into a small cave, stopping near the ceiling to let Lime down before letting go of Videl.

He dropped down in the center of the room. A hole in the ceiling let light in, while an opening on the other side let, presumably, out onto the mountain. Various pieces of furniture and different objects sat around the room, sectioned off by rope fences. "They've made up the place for tourists, but it's mostly untouched," he said, and began to explain everything in the room.

Sharpner sighed and tapped his foot on the floor as they waited at the base of the tunnel, leaning against the wall. "How long are they gonna take up there?"

"Oh, be patient," Erasa huffed. "If you'd of been brave enough to go, you wouldn't be bored."

He snorted at her. Rom fiddled with the strap of his bag, looking around at the darkness. "I wonder what else is down here?"

"We shouldn't go off exploring on our own," Chico said worriedly.

"Oh, come on. Just a peek around couldn't hurt."

"Well…" She chewed her lip, uncertain.

Erasa reached into her bag and pulled out her compact, inspecting her face before sighing. "In this weather I just can't wear any makeup."

Chico opened her mouth to tell her she looked just fine, but Erasa yelped, compact fumbling out of her hands and tumbling into the dark. "Eep!" she squeaked, rushing after it.

"Erasa, hold on! It's just a makeup thing!" Sharpner yelled, darting after her.

Rom sweatdropped. "This is how people get separated in cheesy movies," he said. "Guys! Come back, we can just get you another one!"

Silence greeted them.

"Gohan?" Rom called up the tunnel. "Sharpner and Erasa ran off! Gohan!" No one answered.

Chico turned to her brother with a nervous look.

"Okay, fine," he sighed. "Let's go."

* * *

Gohan lowered them back through the tunnel with a grin, rambling away. "And that's why- hey, Rom, did you know that- Rom?"

The trio looked around, confusion flashing across their faces. "Where'd they go?" Lime asked.

Gohan sought out their ki signatures. They were heading away from them. "Damn. They must have gone off somewhere." He yanked out the map and frowned. "I can feel where they are, but I don't have any clue on how to get to them from here."

"Can't you just blast through the wall?" Lime asked, alarmed.

"If I do that, I could bring the whole cave system down and kill them all. Ooh, boy, the dragon wouldn't be happy about that one," Gohan sweatdropped.

"Okay, what tunnels lead out of this room?" Videl asked, turning the map so she could see it.

"Two different ones. One circles back around to the tunnel we came in with, but the other…"

The ground below them rumbled. The walls shook, sending rocks scattering over the floor. The rumbling continued, increasing in intensity before fading away, but the sound continued in the distance.

"…leads further into the mountain."

* * *

Erasa was freaking out.

"Guys?!" she yelled, hands cupped around her mouth. "Guys!"

"Erasa!" Sharpner shouted behind her, hands grabbing at her shoulders when she whirled around. He was covered in dirt, as was she; they had tumbled down a tunnel to who knows where. The ground shook again, making them both stumble.

"Sharpner! Erasa!" Rom yelled, skidding into the offshoot tunnel they occupied with a wild look. "The volcano is-"

The next rumble was so bad they were knocked off their feet, crashing into various rocks around the room. "We're gonna die," Erasa croaked.

"We're not gonna die," Chico said in a chastising tone. "Come on, we have to find the way back."

"If _someone_ hadn't gone running out after a compact, we'd be with Gohan." Rom glared at Erasa, who laughed nervously.

"Let's go!" Sharpner yelled, grabbing Erasa's hand and running for a tunnel.

* * *

Gohan was panicking. "Crap. Crap. Crap! What do I do, what do I do, what do we _do_?"

"Stay calm," Videl snapped, making him stop short. "First thing's first, we find the others and then get out of here to help evacuate the island."

"Okay. Okay. Come on." He didn't wait for any confirmation, just grabbed them both around the waist and went Super, blasting down the hall at a pace that made Lime scream. Videl, however, found it exhilarating, too startled to be angry at his suddenness.

They flashed through the tunnels, dodging falling rocks and walls that were caving in. Gohan stopped suddenly, frowning.

"What's wrong?" Videl asked, hair blown out of her pigtails.

"I think they- yeah, they just went above ground," Gohan said. "They're on the mountainside. I've gotta get outside- wait, I think they're flying!"

"Blast out of here then!" Videl yelled, cringing closer to him when a boulder fell, nearly scraping her shoulder.

Gohan turned so his palm faced the ceiling. A bright orb of energy gathered, too bright for either girl to look at, before he blasted a hole through the roof of the cavern, making everything shake even more.

Gohan blasted upward through the dust, bursting into the sky just as the cave fell to ruin below them. Lime stared up at the volcano in horror, pointing.

Lava sloshed up from its depths, spilling over the sides and down toward the ocean. Down at the village, locals and tourists ran screaming toward the bridge, clutching pets and valuables in their arms.

Gohan cursed under his breath, looking around frantically for Rom and Chico. Their energies were nearby, but he couldn't spot them.

"Rom!" he yelled. "Chico!"

"We have to do something! They won't get away in time!" Videl shouted, one hand clutching a handful of his shirt.

Gohan's eyes lit up. "I have an idea," he yelled over the commotion, dashing toward the ground and letting them down near the bridge. "Stay here," he said, before darting into the air and flying away.

* * *

Rom nearly wept for joy when he saw an opening in the tunnel. The group careened out of the cave, only to stop short shrieking as they nearly went right off a cliff's edge.

"Great!" Erasa wailed, hands in her hair. "We're dead!"

"No we're not," Chico said firmly, taking the spare rope out of her bag and handing some to Rom. "We're flying out of here."

"B-but Rom's the only one who's good at it," Erasa said.

"I'm good enough," Chico replied, face determined.

Rom spared her a glance before nodding, shoving one end of the rope at the wide-eyed Sharpner. "Tie this on and _don't let go_ ," he stressed.

The blond gulped. "Okay."

Chico tied the rope around her stomach, tying it off in the back and bending down for Erasa to get on. Wincing as the weight came down on her, she slowly stood up, standing in a hunched position. "Ready?" she asked Rom, who had a shivering and practically squeaking Sharpner on his back.

Rom nodded. He took a few steps back before taking a running leap, jumping off the cliff and blasting into the air with a small burst of ki. He rose up high enough to give Chico room, waiting for her to follow.

Chico took a deep breath, backing up. She took off at a sprint, summoning her energy and leaping after her brother, blowing part of the edge away and causing herself to wobble. "Chico!" Rom yelled, concerned, before she evened out, rising up to meet him at a slower pace.

"I'm good," she panted slightly.

He nodded and turned around. "Now we gotta find Gohan and the village."

"Hold on," Chico interrupted, eyes on the cliff. Lava had flowed down and over a ledge in the side of the volcano, pooling around a house that sat beneath it. A woman sat on the floor of her porch, watching the approaching lava with terror. "We have to help her."

* * *

"Ka," Gohan said, holding his hands at his side. " _Me_ \- _ha- me_ -"

Erasa and Videl watched in confusion from the ground as people went screaming by, yelling at them to move.

" _Ha!_ "

Their jaws dropped at the colossal wave of energy that burst forth from Gohan's cupped palms. The wave blasted into the volcano as he slowly moved his hands from left to right, creating a massive trench in the ground that separated a few empty houses from the village.

Lava flowed into the trench, streaming down like waves crashing over a waterfall. The two watched in awe as he let up.

Around them, villagers had stopped to stare up at the golden-haired teenager above them with similar expressions. Gohan let himself drop to the ground, body tense as he waited for the lava to fill the trench and start flowing towards them again.

"Gohaaaan!" Chico called from the air, sounding exhausted. Gohan looked up and spotted her and Rom in midair, Sharpner and Erasa on their backs, each one holding the hand of a terrified-looking woman.

They crash-landed in a heap in front of him, and he sweatdropped. "Get back!" he ordered.

They got up and frantically ran toward the bridge, forming a line between the villagers and the volcano. A great rumble shook the island before an enormous last burst of lava flew forth, screaming down the cliffs toward the village.

Gohan's aura roared to life, making the bracelet on his wrist shiver. He cupped his hands again, charging another blast, and this time aimed at the air, waiting until the first edges of lava had reached his trench.

His energy lit up the sky, visible even from the mainland. "Woahhh," his friends uttered as one, eyes wide as they witnessed a taste of his power from up close for the first time.

The light died down, revealing smoking, charred rock where half the volcano used to be. Gohan leaped into the air, sending another blast into the ocean. It exploded, sending tidal waves crashing into the shores.

Erasa and Lime shrieked as they were nearly thrown off their feet, the waters rising up to their wastes even on the bridge. Water suffocated the remaining lava, pooling around the remains of the volcano and slowly leaking back into the ocean. The villagers coughed up seawater as it receded, leaving a drenched but still standing village in its wake.

Dead silence reigned for several moments as they waited, tense. Finally, a little girl began to clap near the front, prompting everyone behind her to start to cheer and wave at Gohan.

The boy jumped and turned around, blinking. "A-ah," he said shyly, waving with a small blush.

Videl couldn't help it. She grinned and clapped as loud as she could, whistling over the crowd as her friends jumped up and down. Gohan dropped to the ground, laughing, one hand rubbing the back of his head.

Little did they know world headlines the next week would read _Golden Fighter Saves Fire District_.

The same day the first headline hit, a three-eyed man and two other men in orange gis were seen investigating the island, but Gohan was lone gone by then. The only one who had any idea where he was was Goten, who taped a postcard with a screenshot of a famous horror movie onto his wall with an overjoyed giggle.

* * *

"Okay, make a left here," Videl said from the passenger seat, a map in one hand and a flashlight in the other.

Gohan turned the wheel and pressed down on the gas, propelling them down an old cobblestone lane. It had been weeks since the incident on the island, and they'd been trying to lay low, hanging out in the country away from any large cities. Sharpner, of course, had immediately found them a place to visit, although Erasa had been complaining about it ever since.

Gohan pressed down on the gas and brought the van to a stop, cutting the engine but leaving the headlights on. He opened his door and stood on the step, peering over his door at the gate in their path. Trees shot up on either side of the lane, each one at least thirty feet tall, a part of the dense forest surrounding them for hundreds of miles. Down the road, he could barely see buildings in the darkness.

The moon was hiding behind clouds, making it pitch black outside. Every noise made Erasa and Lime jump, huddled together on one side of the table in the back, while Chico filmed from across from them on the second wooden booth and Sharpner and Rom lounged on the cot they had pulled out, munching on a bag of chips.

An owl hooted, sounding as if it were right outside the window. Videl rolled her eyes when Erasa jumped and let out a squeak.

"This is a bad idea," Erasa whispered, the overhead light above the table the only thing illuminating the vehicle. Rom had drawn the curtains on the window in the back above the cot and on the door that led outside, situated where a normal backseat door would be on the passengers' side. There was a set of curtains that could be drawn to cut off the driver's seat as well, but they rarely bothered with them.

Gohan got out, slamming the door shut and making everyone in the back jump. Videl scooted over to the driver's seat, starting it up again while he opened the gate for her. She drove past, stopping and letting him back in when he closed the gate again.

"Well, Sharpner, you got your ghost town," Gohan said in a teasing tone, giving the camera a grin and driving slowly down the lane. The van was mostly quiet, a new model that only emitted a small rumble.

"Y-Yeah," Sharpner stammered, peeking out the curtains in the back. Gohan drove down the long lane, pulling to a stop in front of a sign greeting travelers.

There was a scattering of small, decrepit buildings bunched around a cobblestone square, with signs ranging from _General Store_ to _Black Water Inn_ hanging by a nail and making eerie creaking noises. Cobwebs hung about on everything, and there was only one road out of the place- the surrounding trees were too dense to even try to drive through. There were paths around the town leading up hills into the forest, making it feel as if it were in a sunken hole hidden away from the rest of the world. Gohan shut off the van, opening the door and shining his flashlight at the sign.

 _Hell Town, Population 132._


	6. Chapter 6

Gohan hummed as he pulled up in front of the old inn. The front porch's roof was sagging, and the steps were broken in places. Half the windows were broken, and everything within was enshrouded in darkness.

"Well, what do you guys say we check in for the night?" he grinned in the rearview mirror.

"What?" Erasa squeaked, drawing her jacket closer around herself. "You can't be serious!"

"As a deadly heart virus," Gohan chuckled, taking his phone out of his pocket. No cell reception. Well, guess he wasn't calling Singeru tonight.

He popped open the door and stepped out, slamming it behind them and making them flinch. "Sh!" Rom hissed, audible through Videl's open door as she followed him.

Gohan rolled his eyes. "Nothing's going to hear me out here, Rom. Besides, if there's any violent squatters we can all handle them at this point. Even Erasa."

Videl, Chico and Lime had forced Erasa into learning martial arts with them, even if she stills squealed when she hit someone in the face. _You're not travelling without being able to defend yourself_ , Videl had said, stern and scowling. Chico was enthusiastic enough, having lived as a runaway a good portion of her life and seeing the value in it. They could all fly well now, although they couldn't reach a fraction of the speed Gohan could, and make small ki blasts. Rom was the weakest in that area, only being able to summon enough energy to light a small fire.

"Stop being wimps, guys," said Videl, annoyed. With a huff, she buttoned up her jacket against the autumn chill and took her flashlight out of her pocket, shining it through the inn's windows.

"Besides, we want an authentic horror movie experience!" Gohan exclaimed, hands on his hips. "What sort of teenagers _don't_ voluntarily enter the terrifying abandoned buildings in a place called Hell Town?"

"Ones that stay alive and don't die of hypothermia," Lime muttered sourly, boots rattling loose stones as she shoved herself out into the cold.

"Get out, guys. I'm putting the van back in its capsule," Videl yelled, thumb hovering over the capsule threateningly. With twin squeaks, Erasa and Sharpner scrambled out, followed by a disgruntled Rom and Chico.

"Awesome!" Gohan grinned, stepping up the stairs onto the porch. He swung open the door, summoning an orb of energy in his palm to light up the room within.

A check-in desk ran along the length of one side of the room, a door leading to probably the kitchens behind it. A rug saturated with dust laid underfoot, leading to the staircase, holes decorating the railing. Another door led into a second room.

Gohan leaned over the desk and grabbed a pen out of his pocket, finding the guest book. _Son Gohan. Catch me if you can._

"Nice, dude," said Sharpner, wearing a flat expression. Gohan stuck his tongue out at him and jogged up the stairs, peering down the hall. Every door was closed, but several sagged against their hinges.

"Take your pick!" he called cheerfully.

"I'm sleeping with Videl," Erasa said in a heartbeat.

"Me too," Lime said, glancing around with nervous eyes. Chico wasn't far behind.

"Don't hold it against me if I'm sticking with you two," said Rom, gaze darting around. Sharpner shrugged.

"Fine with me if you two are too wimpy to sleep by yourself," he hedged, too proud to say there was no way in HFIL he was sleeping alone.

"Gohan?" Erasa asked, voice small. "What's that?"

"What?" Gohan replied.

" _That_."

They all fell silent. At first, they couldn't hear anything- then a wheezing caught their attention, slow and rhythmic, like someone was having trouble breathing but breathed that way all the time. Gohan frowned and examined both ends of the hallway, making his orb shine brighter.

"Well, no energy signatures are around, so no one's here," he said, breaking the awkward silence.

"Then what is it," Videl whispered, moving a step closer to him on instinct.

"Sounds like it's coming from downstairs," Sharpner said, Erasa clinging to his arm. "But we were just down there, and nothing was there."

"Must be some sort of animal," Rom said logically, but his expression was anxious. "Wandered in, too little energy to sense."

"Must be," Gohan said, stepping toward the stairs. "Probably a rat or something."

Despite how silly it was- _he could blow up the planet-_ Gohan felt nervousness ball in his gut as he stepped down the creaking stairs. As soon as he hit the bottom step, the wheezing ceased, leaving silence in its wake.

Gohan breathed in deeply, trying to catch the scent of anything that had come in, but all he got was dust. Coughing slightly, he went back up to the others, waiting with tense expressions, and grinned.

"Come on, guys! We're being stupid. Just pick a room already and tomorrow we can explore."

Rom felt lucky. He was situated in between Sharpner and Gohan, who lay closest to the door, with the hood of his sleeping bag pulled over his head. In hindsight, it was rather silly to get spooked over standing in an abandoned building at night when he was friends with a guy who could blow the whole town up with a twitch of his pinky, but raw power didn't remove one's innate fear at such situations.

What was to say things like ghosts and demons didn't exist anyway? From Gohan's stories, demons probably did, and some spirits _did_ get stopped from going to Otherworld. What if how much ki you had didn't matter? What if they operated on some weird ghost plane and could suck your soul out?

Giving himself a rough shake, Rom closed his eyes, focusing on his friends' breathing. Gohan was sprawled out on top of his sleeping bag, completely unconcerned, limbs spread like an octopus.

"Rom," Chico called from the other room. Rom sighed. "Rom!"

With a grumble, he extricated himself from his bag, leaving it in a pile on the floor as he went to the door. The girls' room was just across from theirs, but he wasn't exactly wanting to go out into the hall. But he was the older brother, which meant he had to. Anything Chico needed, he delivered.

Suppressing a yawn, he stepped the length of the hall, hand reaching for the doorknob.

"Rom," Chico whispered from the direction of the stairs. He looked up in confusion, squinting against the blackness. "Come here."

Mentally shrugging, he turned away from her door and took half a step toward her, startled when the door swung open.

"Rom?" Chico yawned, rubbing one eye. "What're you doing?"

Rom gawked at her, glancing back at the stairs. "N…nothing, I just thought I heard you call me," he stammered, eyes wide.

She furrowed her brow. "No, I was asleep, but I heard you out here. Go back to sleep."

"I…but you…" Rom stole one last glance at the stairs. The building was silent, and seemed, all of a sudden, painfully normal. "Okay." _I must have been hearing things. Maybe she was sleeptalking, like when she was little_.

He waved her goodnight and stepped back into his room, shutting the door with a deep sigh. He ambled back over to his sleeping bag, lifting up Gohan's arm so he could shimmy into it. it fell back across his back as soon as he let go of it.

Sharpner grumbled in his sleep, turning over. "Shtuphid nerd," he muttered under his breath. "Books r' borin'."

Rom settled in and deflated, stress leaving his body. With one final glance at the door, he flipped his hood up, breathing a sigh of relief.

He was too tired and too freaked out over the town. Even if ghosts did exist, they wouldn't spend their time haunting a couple of kids like them- not with someone like Gohan in their group. No, they'd probably go haunt whoever'd murdered them or something.

There was always a logical explanation.

Pigero's voice echoed in his head. _Never rule out any possibility…sometimes, the world surprises you._

* * *

Gohan yawned and stretched his arms as he jogged down the inn's steps, Lime on his heels. The others had decided to look around the inn, and Videl had wandered off toward the general store. In the light of day, the town hardly looked like something out of a horror film or even mildly frightening- just old, useless, and like it had seen better days.

He brushed his hand along the words on a hand-painted sign as he went up the steps to a butcher's shop. _Artchie's Butcher_. "It's amazing, isn't it?"

"What is?" Lime asked, wrinkling her nose at a pile of rags by the doorway.

Gohan stepped inside and examined the old freezers along the wall. A few carcasses, rotting and black, hung from the ceiling, and knives and other sharp tools lay scattered. "People used to live here," he elaborated, trailing his finger along the dull edge of one of the knives. "Just like you and me. Their own lives, relationships, dreams. Maybe Artchie the Butcher grew up with the mayor's boy as his best friend and the girl down the block as his sweetheart. And then, in the blink of an eye it can all be gone. The people who used to live here all moved away or died. There's no life left," he finished.

"It's too early in the morning for you to go all profound on me," Lime sighed, twirling one of the smaller knives in her hand. "I guess it does make you feel kinda small, though. Like, not in the bad way, just the humble way. Like you should just slow down sometimes and enjoy what you have."

He nodded in agreement. "That's one reason I left home. My mother didn't let me just slow down and enjoy life. It was always study for this, prepare for that- I was ten and she was already talking about what colleges to apply to. I love her dearly, but I needed something more. And waiting eight years until I could leave the house and basically lead her on and then crush her hopes for me didn't sound very inviting."

"So running away in the middle of the night and letting her stress over you was inviting?" Lime asked teasingly, grinning.

He rolled his eyes. "For Kami's sake, I defeated Cell. She knows nothing will happen to me. Besides, this way I can actually live a little instead of just doing what she wants. Besides, I write home every day. You should see how big Goten's stack of letters have gotten."

"You send postcards and photos and videos, right?" Lime asked.

"Yeah."

"What if they find out where you are?"

Gohan crossed his arms with a grin, leaning his hip against the counter. "They won't."

She gave him a wry look. "Cocky." She leaned over and flicked his nose. "Lot more than that naïve kid I met when we were ten."

"Hey, I wasn't that naïve."

"You didn't even know why I got upset at you when you fished me out of the river."

Gohan's face turned red. "I…I didn't realize…"

"Yeah, right." Lime stuck her tongue out. "But still, you haven't changed _that_ much. You teach all of us about fighting and stuff, but you're still too gentle and kind to want to hurt anybody. You go to 'Save the Earth' rallies and protests against street violence, for Pete's sake."

He huffed, blowing his bangs out of his eyes. He'd dyed the tips a darker red than the rest. "I'll have you know that those are _very_ important causes."

"Yeah, I'm sure." She twirled and sauntered out of the shop, walking up the cobble path toward another building. "Besides, you could very easily just never fight again, and spend the rest of your life perpetually wandering and trying foreign foods."

"I probably could," Gohan folded his arms behind his head and stared up at the sky. "I'd probably end up as one of those people who'd, like, start a food blog or something and rant about different spices."

"And post pictures of your seventy-two cats."

"Oi!"

She held up her hands. "All I'm saying is you like the things. I don't see why." She scrunched up her nose. "They think the world revolves around them."

"They just love differently!" Gohan squawked.

"Yeah, whatever. That one you had a few months back was _evil_. I swear its picture is glaring at me."

"You just didn't _respect_ Mittens," Gohan sniffled, pouting.

"Right. _Respect_. I'm sure that was it."

They stepped into the town's library, gazing up at the rows and rows of books within. Gohan started to inspect each one, looking for anything Singeru could sell. "So…what do your friends do now?" Lime asked, breaking the silence, with an awkward curiosity in her tone.

"Huh? Oh, uhm…I'm not sure about all of them," Gohan replied, pausing with a book open in his hands. "I know what Piccolo does because I write him letters, but he doesn't talk to the others much, and the only one I contact is Goten, really."

"Oh." Lime took a step up a ladder to reach the highest shelves. Just because she could fly didn't mean she should use it for every little thing, in her opinion.

 _"Western Techniques for Using Ground Burdock, Age 645,_ " Gohan read aloud. Funnily enough, he could have sworn the 'u' looked like an a. Shrugging, he placed it in the cloth backpack hanging off one of his shoulders. "Not like the villagers will be needing it, anyway."

"Looks like most of them are either cookbooks or sewing patterns," Lime said, peering over the top of the bookshelf and trying not to inhale any of the dust. She hopped off the ladder, dusting off her hands, before frowning at the front desk. "Hey, was there a book there before?"

"Hm?" Gohan turned around, eyes still on a text in his hands, and followed her gaze. Frowning, he retreated back to the desk, leaning over the open book lying atop it. "No, I don't think there was. Maybe we didn't notice."

He fingered one of the crumbling pages. Most of the words were too blurry to read; the only ones that were legible were _get out_ and _ritual of the moons_. "Huh. Weird."

"Weird," Lime agreed, and they ambled out.

* * *

"There are a spectacularly few straws you can even start to grasp at to come up with even one legitimate reason as to why this is a good idea," Rom complained, holding a flashlight in one hand and illuminating the inn's kitchen as Gohan rummaged around.

"Oh, come on, Rom. Don't tell me you're afraid of the dark," Gohan teased. "We survived a night here, so I'm pretty sure nothing's going to come kill us in the night."

 _Yeah_ , pretty _sure_ , Rom thought, still thinking of the night before. It still befuddled him. He could have _sworn_ he heard Chico's voice coming from downstairs- but, no. He was imagining things.

"Besides, I'm not even tired," Gohan's voice interrupted his thoughts. He shook himself and went back to shining the light for Gohan to rifle through the cabinets.

Erasa poked her head in, yawning. "We're going to bed, you guys. See you in the morning." To Gohan's surprise, she was less freaked out than Rom, who was usually steadfast and stable. With a wave, she retreated, and they heard footsteps going up the stairs.

"How unusual," Gohan noted, glancing up at the ceiling. "That we don't hear footsteps from upstairs." For a moment, Rom stared at him, unnerved, before faceplanting when the boy laughed. "Must have really sturdy architecture!"

Rom rubbed his head and got up, sighing. "Gohan, sometimes you're just…

"What?"

" _Sigh_."

"…why'd you just say 'sigh'?"

* * *

Videl rolled over, trying to force herself into falling asleep. Feeling brave, she had taken the room next to the girls', wanting some privacy to mull over the thoughts that had been rolling around in her head for a few weeks.

It was hard to pinpoint what exactly was bothering her. It was like when she _knew_ she was getting a martial arts form down wrong, but she didn't know what she was doing wrong or what was throwing her off- but with life instead.

It seemed to revolve around Gohan, however. No matter what he was doing, he was always determined to drag her kicking and screaming out of her shell and make her participate. Last week he'd convinced her to play with the rest of the group in a game of truth-or-dare pick-up sticks, a game of his own invention. The month before, he'd gotten her to dance in the street with a bunch of performers with him.

He was just so _happy_. Maybe he wasn't in a happy mood all the time, per se- he got depressed at times just like a normal person- but he saw the positive side of life where she saw the negative. Where she saw a thunderstorm, he saw a chance to dance in the rain.

Sighing, Videl got up and dragged herself into the hall and down to the bathroom. She passed the other girls' room, where she could hear giggling from within. Shutting the door with a soft click, she sat down on the edge of the tub and rubbed at her eyes.

The smaller room felt more secure and safe; like a corner in a room full of crowded people. For several moments she sat in still silence, rubbing her neck.

 _Tak-tak-tak_.

With a frown, Videl pulled her head up, eyes confused and tired. The tiny room only had one window, but there weren't any tree branches to be brushing up against it. Yet, it had sounded like something was making a tiny tapping noise on the glass.

 _Tak-tak-tak_.

Videl stood and took half a step, leaning up on her toes to peer out the window. A three-quarters full moon shone brightly on the land below, illuminating the streets and making them look eerie. From the window, she could see the general store sign swinging back and forth, despite there being no wind. Nothing was brushing against the glass, and not a bird was in sight.

Frown deepening, she dropped back to the heels of her feet, eyeing the window thoughtfully.

 _Tak-tak-tak_.

Videl froze. The hairs on the back of her neck rose, as the atmosphere of the small room shifted abruptly- even with the weird noise before, it had seemed quaint, normal; now it gave her goosebumps. Slowly, she turned her head to the side, peering behind her.

The tapping was coming from the mirror.

* * *

"Okay, and the kid goes, 'Daddy, check for monsters under my bed,'" Sharpner whispered, expression serious as the three girls in front of him leaned forward eagerly. "So the guy leans down to humor him and looks, and right there, under the bed, is another kid, and he goes 'Daddy, there's somebody on my bed'."

Erasa squeaked, covering her head with the hood of her sleeping bag. "Sharpner, that's so creepy!"

"Your scary story game is weak," Lime scowled, poking him in the arm while he squawked.

"Fine then, you do better!"

"Fine, I will," Lime said smugly, shoving him aside as she took up his position. "In case you didn't know, making up stories is my specialty."

"Yeah, yeah," Sharpner muttered, crawling to the place she had occupied and plopping down.

"Okay." Lime cleared her throat. "A man and his wife-"

"Hey, do you hear that?" Erasa asked, making Lime sigh in annoyance.

"What, Erasa?"

" _That_ ," Erasa stressed, holding up a pointed finger. They paused to listen.

A slow wheezing caught their attention. All at once, they seemed to go still, straining to hear- it was so quiet they could barely hear it, but it seemed to have always been there. "That sounds like what we heard the other night," Lime whispered, eyes darting around.

"Maybe it's the wood," Chico suggested. "Or wind."

Sharpner checked his watch. "Or some animal outside that comes around," he said. "1:09. We should go to bed, anyway."

A quiet, slow creak made them freeze, in the middle of straightening their sleeping bags. This time, it was painfully audible, and none of them could mistake it for the wind.

Sharpner shrieked as something sharp pierced the sides of his neck, tearing off slices of skin as he lunged forward. Flailing, he landed in Chico's arms as she stared in horror behind him as a shape loomed up out of the darkness-

Lime shot up, gasping for breath. Both hands shot up to hold her chest as her heart raced, and she wiped sweat off her forehead, breathing heavily.

"Lime?" Chico exclaimed. "Did you have a nightmare too?"

Sharpner sat upright with a pale face, shaking. "I had one, too."

Erasa was curled in a ball on the floor, hands over her eyes. "Me, too."

"Wait," Lime said, eyebrows furrowing, "We _all_ had a nightmare?"

"We were just telling stories in mine," Chico said in a small voice. "Then we heard that wheezing sound, and something creaked before Sharpner got attacked."

A tense silence permeated the air before Lime spoke in a slow, deliberate voice: "Chico, that's the exact same dream that I had."

Sharpner's eyes widened in a mix between horror and disbelief. "No way. No way did we all have the same dream."

Whimpering, Erasa slowly crawled over to Chico, clutching her arm. "T-that can't be normal, can it?"

Sharpner checked his watch, face drawing even tighter. "It's 1:08," he whispered.

They each fell silent. "It doesn't mean anything," Lime said. "Sure we all just-"

" _Guys. Listen,_ " Erasa said, voice wobbling.

A slow wheezing sound met their ears. Sharpner's hand was shaking so badly he could hardly read his watch as the _8_ slowly shifted into a _9_ , looking up to stare at his friends with wide eyes.

A creak broke the silence as the closet door swung open.

* * *

"Well whaddaya know, this place does still have electricity," Gohan said, coffee pot buzzing in the silence. Rom snorted.

"Someday, your coffee addiction is going to kill you."

"Don't diss my coffee," Gohan complained, pouring most of it into the plastic travel bottle clipped onto his bag. He took a long gulp, eyes lighting up.

Rom groaned, sagging against the counter. "I hate it when you have that. You just get hyper."

"Sorry, what'd you say? I couldn't hear you over the flashing lights."

"Smart alec," Rom said, taking out his phone. He frowned at it. "What, no cell reception?"

"Already tried, buddy."

"Erasa's not going to be happy about that," he commented, and nervous looks grew across both their faces.

"No, she's not."

"Well, regardless," Gohan began, but stopped when he spotted something over Rom's shoulder. "Hey, didn't we leave the door open when we came in?"

Rom turned around, examining the closed door with a frown. "Did we? I must've just closed it and forgot."

"Hm. You know, I thought I closed the hall door this afternoon too, but it was open," Gohan said, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Weird."

Rom eyed the door. "You don't think anything… _odd_ is going on around here, do you?"

"Rom, please. Just because people _think_ it's haunted doesn't mean it _is_. It was probably just abandoned before the Cell Games."

"Yeah, you're probably right," Rom said, but he sounded unsure.

Gohan's ears twitched as a noise made him look around. The wheezing from before danced just on the edges of his senses, almost too quiet to even hear- it made him question whether or not it was even there, or he was just imagining things.

"Um, Gohan, is this your idea of a joke?"

Gohan frowned and turned back toward Rom, whose face was illuminated by his phone. "What?"

"This," Rom snapped, shoving the phone in his face. There was a picture of Rom in his sleeping bag, taken from just above his torso.

"Rom," Gohan whispered, heart dropping into his stomach. "Look at that photo closely. You can see Sharpner's hair and my arm. We didn't take that."

Rom froze, eyes widening a fraction. He yanked the phone back and squinted at it, going pale. "Then…then who did?"

"I don't know. The girls didn't. They would have woken you up rummaging through your jacket. I never sensed anything."

A shiver ran down his spine. "I think I'm going to go check on the others. Coming up?" he said, moving toward the hall.

"Sure. While you're at it, hit the lights. I swear I'm going to trip and break my neck over something," Rom said, trying to be humorous. The effect was ruined by his wavering voice.

Gohan reached toward the light switch, frown firmly in place. Just as his fingers found the switch, he stopped, body going still.

There was already a hand there.


	7. Chapter 7

Logically, Gohan knew that even if there were someone in the room with him, he could probably vaporize them with barely a flick of his hand. It was highly doubtful whoever- or whatever- was there could pose a threat to him.

However, the fact that there was a warm, obviously living- he could feel and hear them breathing now- hand beneath his own with no discernible ki signature, coupled with the darkness around him and the pit of nervousness that had gathered in his gut, made him panic, jerking his hand back and raising it to shine an energy blast at the light switch.

At the exact moment Rom asked "What's your problem, man?" the doorway leading into the foyer was illuminated, revealing-

Nothing.

For a moment, Gohan stood there, blinking, as if he could open his eyes and magically see someone standing there. Gulping, he flicked the switch on, but the presence was gone.

"Gohan?"

"Nothing, Rom-"

Screaming filled the hall upstairs. Jolting, Gohan and Rom burst into a sprint, rounding the corner and taking off up the stairs. They hit the hall just as Erasa, Lime, and Chico burst from their room, faces ashen in the light of Gohan's ki blast.

"What's going on?" Gohan yelled over their screaming. Erasa and Chico latched onto Rom, shaking, and Lime just stood there panting, eyes wide and unseeing. He grabbed her by the shoulders, letting his blast float above their heads. "Lime. Snap out of it."

After a good shake, she started and looked at him, finally registering his presence. "There was- there was something on the closet," she gasped. "It-"

"It grabbed Sharpner!" Erasa wailed, burying her head in Rom's shoulder while he awkwardly tried to comfort her.

"What do you mean it grabbed him?!" Frantically, Gohan threw his senses out and looked for Sharpner's life force, heart dropping when he felt nothing for several miles. " _What happened?_ "

"I told you," Lime puffed, voice annoyed. "Something just _lunged_ out of the closet after we all had this freaky- premonition about it. We had a dream, and it was the same for all of us, but we didn't realize what it was in time. It was already out and yanked him in there."

Gohan threw open the door, which had banged shut in their mad frenzy to escape, and charged his aura, lighting up the whole room. He crossed over to the closet and yanked it open, an energy blast in hand, scowling when he saw it was empty.

"Did any of you see it?" he asked, striding back into the hall.

"It had claws," Erasa said quietly, rubbing her tears away with her sleeve. "And really long, creepy fingers."

"It had grey skin," Lime continued. "I didn't see much else."

"Great. Just great." Gohan ran a hand through his bangs and paused, looking them over again. "Wait, where's Videl?"

Confused looks flashed across their faces. "Videl was…" Erasa turned and pointed at the other door, standing open. "Uh…"

"Guys," Gohan said slowly. "Where. Is. Videl?"

Chico gulped. "I don't know."

* * *

Rom twiddled his fingers, watching Gohan pace back and forth. The girls were gathered around him on the steps, eyes on their leader as he freaked out.

"There's no way this can be happening," Gohan muttered, hands clutching his hair as he wore a track in the ground. "I can't find them. I can't find them _anywhere_. What the frig is going on here?!"

"Gohan, you've searched the village twice. We're not getting anywhere by losing our heads," Lime said, leaning on her hand.

Gohan turned around, a perpetual frown stuck on his face. "What're we supposed to do, then? _Sleep_? While they're, what, being tortured Kami-knows-where? I can't do that."

He turned and surveyed the village again, breathing heavily. Lime got up, kicking the dust off her boots, and went over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm not saying we should stop looking, but you're just wearing yourself out. We need to think back to everything weird that's happened and see if we can get any clues."

"Okay. Okay." Shaking his head, Gohan leapt up to sit on the railing and pulled a notepad and pen out of one of his inside pockets.

"How many of those things do you even carry?" Rom muttered.

"There was the creepy breathing the first night," Gohan said, handwriting becoming sloppy. "But it didn't make a move."

"Probably cuz it knew you were in there," Lime supplied, jumping up beside him. "Whatever _it_ is, it wasn't about to mess with you, so it's intelligent, at least."

"So it only took Sharpner because I wanted to look around," Gohan said, guilt filling his voice. Lime slapped him.

"Don't be that way. It would have come out sometime. We couldn't have known. What else?"

"We've been alone in other parts of the inn and it didn't touch us," Chico said quietly, huddled against her brother. "I think it may be confined to that room, somehow."

"Okay. So let's say Creeper has that room." Gohan paused, glancing into the kitchen window. "There was something in the kitchen, too."

"Dude!" Rom yelped, eyes going wide. "Why didn't you tell me?!"

"Screaming happened," Gohan said, annoyed. "I felt a hand on the light switch, but there wasn't anything there."

"Creepy," Erasa murmured.

"The book in the library," Lime said, metaphorical light bulb lighting up over her head. "It moved. But it didn't seem like it was trying to scare us- the library never felt…as creepy as the inn."

"They must be some sort of spirits," Gohan deduced, setting his chin in his hand. "That's why I can't sense them. There's three, at least. While Creeper was attacking you, the one in the kitchen- let's say, Switch- was trying to keep me from going up there."

"So we're naming them now?" Rom muttered, going unheard.

"And another one that got Videl," Erasa whispered, teardrops leaking out of her eyes and onto her knees. Gohan tensed, grip tightening on his notepad and wrinkling the corners.

"Yeah. One that got Videl. From now on, no one goes anywhere alone. Except…" Gohan's eyes darted around the village, a thought darting into his head. Anything could be watching them. "I have a plan."

* * *

Videl stared at the wall of the bathroom, feeling disoriented. She reached forward to grab the door, but found her hand thumped against an odd-feeling surface, almost like…

…glass.

Videl lunged forward, slamming into the barrier and banging her fists on it. "Let me out!" she yelled, voice echoing back at her. All around her, the bathroom wall played out over and over again, a sick repeat that left her dizzy and nauseous.

Her own reflection stared back at her from the sides, above her, below her. She kicked and screamed until her throat felt raw, but no one answered.

"Shhh," a voice whispered in her ear. She didn't so much as feel something pull her as she simply flew back, crashing through reflection after reflection until she wanted to puke up her stomach.

The tornado didn't end until they were in a new column, a bed and dresser and empty room echoing all around her. Blinking, Videl tried to push forward again, but found it harder to move this time. The space seemed cramped and tiny.

Was this one of the inn rooms? Videl could have sworn she'd seen it when she took a walk around the building. She couldn't have forgotten the disturbingly ugly rug set in the middle of the floor.

From this angle, though, she had to have been standing right beside- no, right _in_ -

The mirror.

* * *

"Gohan, we've been through the building three times."

Videl startled, looking around frantically for the source of the noise. Her eyes alighted on the door as it swung open, followed by Gohan and Lime as he came storming in, eyes glancing around.

"Over here!" Videl yelled, struggling in her prison.

He didn't hear her. "I just don't get it. How could it have taken them so easily? Where did it _go_? Why can't I sense it?"

He walked slowly around the room, passing right by the small mirror that sat on the vanity. Videl watched him like a hawk, willing him to just _see her_.

"Gohan." Lime placed her hands on his, a sympathetic look on her face. "We'll find them, okay?"

Gohan looked up at her and sighed, nodding, a morose expression on his face. Videl felt something stir in her chest, something ugly and green.

Why couldn't _she_ be like that with him? Why couldn't she reassure him like that? Lime had only known him a few months more than her.

"Let's go." Lime patted him on the shoulder and walked out of the room, and he followed on her heels, pausing to glance over his shoulder.

He glanced at the mirror, frowning. Videl stared excitedly, deflating when he sighed again and turned, shutting the door on his way out.

* * *

"Do _not_ step outside this van and blast anything that tries to get inside," Gohan said, hands flapping about in worry as he spoke. He shrugged on Rom's parka, cinching the drawstring tight around his throat. He reached over the seat and pulled the curtains that he'd installed to cover the front window and driver and passenger seat windows. "Don't open the door, don't look out the window, don't turn on the light, don't make noise-"

"Gohan, we get it," Rom sighed, taking guard on the seat closest to the door.

"Don't come after me," he continued. "I can handle whatever's out there. You can't."

Chico gulped, nodding. She sat huddled with Erasa on the cot, a blanket drawn around their shoulders, and Lime sat leaning her elbows on the table, a bag of chips open on the tiny countertop beside it.

"Lock the door behind me," said Gohan, glancing at them all one by one before he stepped outside.

Rom went to close the door. "If I don't get back by an hour before dawn," Gohan murmured under his breath, "take these and get out of here." He shoved the car keys into Rom's hand, making his eyes go wide before he nodded.

"Keep them safe."

"I will," Rom replied. "And _you_ bring them back."

* * *

Gohan kept his head down as he walked upstairs to the Creeper's room, hands stuffed in his pockets. It was silent inside, the dust coating the floor in front of the closet undisturbed.

The quietness was almost eerie. Gohan settled himself on the floor, back to the closet, and kept his hood obstructing his face.

His watch read 2:37.

The minutes ticked by, eventless, and he began to grow frustrated. Where was the thing? Was it intelligent enough to know something was up?

A slow creak caught his attention. Glancing over his shoulder, he followed the closet door with his eyes as it opened, all the way to the wall.

For a moment, the room was still, void of any noise but the wheezing that danced on the edge of his senses.

He could see in the dark better than a human- he by no means had night vision, and there wasn't much he could do in total darkness, but things had always been clearer for him in the night than his mother- but the closet was a gaping hole. Nothing could be seen, even with the light of the moon filtering in through the window on the opposite wall.

It was disconcerting. Gohan wasn't afraid; he'd lived through this nightmare too many times with Cell or Frieza in the darkness instead, but something about the whole situation unsettled him.

Something shuffled. Gohan looked away, huddling closer to the floor, and tightened the string on his hood. He could hear footsteps coming closer to him, one after the other- but it wasn't a _one-two_ pattern. It was _one-two-three-four_.

A hand settled on his shoulder. Long and spindly, wrinkled, with nails that felt dull but at least two inches long. Gohan's eyes flicked down to his watch.

2:47.

Gasping for air, he jerked soundlessly on the floor, eyes flickering open like someone had just dumped a bucket of ice water on him. Heart racing, he threw out his senses in vain, a small bead of panic forming in his gut.

He had not fallen asleep. He _knew_ he hadn't fallen asleep. He'd been on his guard and alert since he'd lost Videl and Sharpner- nothing could have gotten him to fall unconscious.

Unless-

He checked his watch, watching as it counted down from 2:46 to 2:47. Videl had gotten it for him; it counted the seconds in a minute.

The door creaked open. Gohan stilled, imagining his fear as a black orb of energy, envisioning a barbwire fence around it, and forced himself to calm down as something padded along the floor towards him.

2:47.

* * *

"I'm worried," Lime said, drumming her fingers on the tabletop.

"It's not even been an hour," Rom grumbled. He adjusted his position in the seat, crossing his arms tighter against the cold.

She sighed, looking like she'd be pacing if she had the room. "We shouldn't be in here while Gohan does all the work."

"You heard him. Don't leave the van."

"What if he's in trouble?"

"He's Gohan. I doubt those things can hurt him."

Lime narrowed her eyes. "Just because he's strong doesn't mean he's invincible," she chastised. "What if something holds one of them hostage or something and _makes_ him give up?"

Rom averted his eyes. "We should be out there with him," Lime continued, blowing a hard breath out through her nostrils.

"She's right, Rom," Chico whispered, still shivering.

"Hey, if you want to get him mad at us-"

Rom snapped his mouth shut when Lime leapt out of her seat, huffing. "What- hey! We can't leave!" he hissed, rising out of his seat.

Lime turned her glare on him, making him shrink back. "I _will_ punch you if you get in my way," she said, unbolting the door and jogging outside.

"Lime!" Rom whispered frantically, stepping halfway out the door after her and reaching for her hood. She darted into the darkness, heading down the road. With a curse, Rom looked back and forth between Lime and his sister. She and Erasa stared wide-eyed, frozen on the bed.

Rom yanked the keys out of his pocket and tossed them to Chico. "Lock the door and get out of here if we're not back by dawn," he said, shoving the door closed as he took off into the night.

* * *

Gohan could feel the creature dragging him somewhere. The dust was thick in the air, and he felt dirt sliding beneath him- a tunnel of some sort. He wasn't sure how they'd gotten there from the inn's closet- he had only experienced a strange shifting sensation beneath him, like the ground had turned to slush, for half an instant before the thing grabbed onto his leg and started hurrying toward an unknown destination.

Even with his eyes closed, he knew when they hit the forest by the sound of crickets and the river rushing in the distance. Peeking one eye open, he glanced at the creature, noting muted grey skin and a vaguely humanoid shape that looked more like an impossible case of decades' worth of starvation than an actual monster.

The thing's head snapped around. Gohan closed his eyes, feigning unconsciousness, and felt it take a turn. Wincing, he tried to adjust himself so the random twigs and sticks on the forest floor wouldn't dig into his side so much.

They stopped. An unsteady, breathy "Rom?"

Gohan opened one eye and made eye contact with Sharpner. He could see he was bleeding from the shoulders, but not enough to have him bleed out. He sat propped against a tree, a gigantic bruise covering half his face.

Gohan lifted a finger to his lips, watching Sharpner's eyes go wide. He glanced at the creature again, watching its unnaturally thin back as it skittered into a cave several yards away.

Gohan shot up and crossed over to Sharpner, who sat up with a wide grin. "I knew you could outsmart that thing," he said, shaky as Gohan cut through the crude ropes around his ankles and wrists made of thorny plant life.

Gohan grabbed his arm and pulled him to his feet, glancing at the cave. "Come on. We still have to find Videl."

Sharpner jolted. "It took Videl too?" he whispered, blanching.

Gohan gave him a grim look. "A different one did."

" _There's more than one?!_ "

* * *

"I'm going out there," Chico said. A determined glint sat in her eye as she faced the door, lacing up the strings on her parka.

"Why is everybody leaving!" Erasa wailed, forgetting about the 'be quiet' rule.

"Like it's any safer in here!" Chico shot back, scowling. "They're out there while we're in here doing nothing. They could be in danger. Sharpner and Videl are your best friends- don't you want to even try and rescue them?"

Erasa bit her lip and fiddled with her hoodie string. "I..I want to help. I'm just scared," she said, ducking her head. Chico sighed and ruffled her hair, causing her to squeak.

"We'll stick together and hey, we can fly, so we can just run away from anything that comes after us."

"Assuming it can't fly too," Erasa muttered, sliding off the cot and following her out the door. Chico ignored her, straightening her shoulders as she marched off toward the inn.

 _Somehow, I feel like this is going to end in disaster,_ she thought.

"You know," Erasa said, voice wobbling, "in horror movies, the stupid teenagers always split up and die." Chico winced. "It's a cliché. We're a walking cliché."

"No we're not," Chico soothed.

"It's almost Halloween," Erasa stressed, lines appearing on her forehead. "We're teenagers who went to a haunted ghost town on Halloween and split up in the dark. And stayed the night in a creepy inn. I'm living in a bad horror movie!" she cried.

A door on a building nearby slammed shut. Chico jumped and slapped a hand over Erasa's mouth, dragging her behind the railing of the inn's porch, peering through the slats as a dark shape appeared from the door.

It hadn't opened the door. It'd gone through it.

* * *

Videl tumbled endlessly, eyes closed. She had been in this place for what felt like years, but instead of feeling desperate, all she felt was anger.

First, this _whatever it was_ had the gall to yank her out of the _bathroom_ into its weirdo mirror world, and then it thought it could just _keep her there?_ She was Videl Satan. No ghost was keeping her where she didn't want to be.

She felt the thing shift. She had learned to recognize when it was leaving, and this time, she grabbed on, latching onto it like a leech onto its prey.

And then she was tumbling again, down, down, down a tunnel through the earth.

* * *

"I have a really bad feeling. I feel like they completely ignored what I said and went off to get themselves maimed," Gohan said, brow creased.

"Dude, you're a worrywart," Sharpner sighed, edging along beside him. They'd braved the cave, following the creature in the distance. The cave itself wasn't very creepy, but the lack of light made it hard not to stumble. "I'm sure they're all still in the van, just fine, and we'll find Videl, kill whatever's tripping, and get back to _civilization._ Ugh, I could go for some WacDonald's right about now."

"I'm starting to prefer the city as well," Gohan muttered. "I can't wait to get back to Scout's."

The nightclub held special memories, as it was the place his little group had started. He was always down for a visit to Orange Star, as well.

In truth, he was trying to distract himself. Videl wasn't weak- whatever had gotten her had either caught her off guard or overpowered her. Either way, a pit of anxiety made his stomach flutter.

What if she was already dead?

Shaking his head, he banished the thought as soon as it popped up, ignoring the way it made his heart pound. Instead, he focused on Videl's pigtails; in the dawn light, they almost looked navy blue. They were always tied with a silver cord made of leather- sometimes in a ponytail, almost never in anything else.

One time, she'd forgotten to tie them on her way out of the hotel they'd been staying at, and Sharpner had made some quip to rile her about how she actually looked like a girl now (Chico and Erasa had bopped him over the head simultaneously). Gohan had told her she looked nice, and she'd insulted them all before storming to the van, red in the face.

He refused to believe he wouldn't see her again.

* * *

 **A/N:** Halloween special should conclude next chapter (in November, nonetheless :P) and then...SPACE!


	8. Chapter 8

"Lime, what're we looking for?" Rom groaned, rubbing his forehead. He watched his friend rifle through the stacks of papers behind the check-in desk, eyebrows furrowed.

"I don't know," she replied hotly, tossing a stack on the counter and huffing. "Something. Anything. Surely someone knew what was going on here."

"I don't know. Maybe they all just died," he drawled, garnering an annoyed look. "What?"

Something slammed into the back of his head. Rom cried out, stumbling forward, and ducked when he heard another projectile coming. Lime threw herself down behind the counter, and he crawled forward until he sat beside her. They huddled there as books assaulted the wood, flinching as each one made impact.

"Another one?" Rom hissed. "Seriously?"

"I think it's mad about something," Lime deduced.

"No, really, Sherlock!"

The banging stopped. They both paused mid-argument, slowly peeking over the top of the counter at the empty room.

A single book lay open on the top. Something had torn through the pages, like someone had taken a knife and carved through the open book, leaving a messy, barely-legible mess. Lime just managed to make out what it said.

 _1 5 7 9_

* * *

Erasa shrieked, breaking through the trees in a mad scramble to get away from the town. "Ghost! Ghost! Ghost!"

"Erasa!" Chico squeaked after her. "Slow down! It wasn't even that scary!"

" _Ghost!_ " Erasa yelled, not slowing down. Chico had done a lot of running in her life- almost constantly- and she was certainly no slouch when it came to being fit. The speeds the blonde could reach when she was frightened were impressing.

With a huff, Chico checked behind them just to make sure nothing was following them. The forest was dark, no trace of the morning sun to be found. She and Rom had often spent nights alone in woods and such, so she wasn't afraid- at home, really; more so than at the inn.

Erasa shrieked again, but Lime didn't register its significance, as she had been doing nothing _but_ shrieking the whole time they'd been in a mad dash away from town. A minute later, she realized her error when her foot caught on a ledge, and she tumbled forward, outstretched hands meeting blank space.

Her heart felt like it stopped. Chico's already alert mind jolted, and she fell forward, twisting until her shoulder met hard ground. The air was knocked out of her, but they'd hit a hard incline, and they kept falling, skidding over rocks and through dirt and grass.

Chico tried to summon her energy and fly, but taking off from a completely still, calm position was one thing- taking off when one was panicked from an insane roll down a hill was another. Scrambling, she tried to find traction, but nothing stuck.

The ground flattened out, and she rolled into a warm body, yelping on contact. For a moment, the two lay panting, disoriented and dizzy. Chico slowly opened her eyes, glancing around at unfamiliar territory- she could see the forest above them, but the rocky hill they'd fallen down led into what could have passed for a mine shaft. The cavern was painfully normal-looking, and would have been well-illuminated in the daytime.

A buzzing caught her attention. With a groan, she spotted her phone, laying a few feet from her head; it was dusty and a bit dinged up, but for the most part unharmed- a Capsule Corporation model. They were practically indestructible.

She fumbled for the screen, squinting at the brightness. "It's Gohan!" she cried in relief, prompting Erasa to scramble to her knees to huddle around the phone with her.

She raised the phone to her ear.

* * *

"Darn, out of battery," Gohan sighed, slipping his phone into his pocket.

* * *

Lime climbed the ladder near the first staircase until she could reach the fifth shelf, counting the books left to right under her breath. She pulled the seventh tome out, flipping it open.

She jumped when the spine creaked, a second book falling out of the hollowed-out pages. She struggled to keep her balance and both books in her hands, stuffing the first back into the shelf before climbing down.

"What'd you find?" Rom asked, shining his flashlight at the book in her hands. It looked normal and unassuming, a simple old leather-bound book that wasn't much larger than Erasa's Capsule-Pad.

Lime flipped it open, frowning at the decrepit pages. Gingerly, she flipped to page nine, skimming what legible text the page held.

"It appears this was a journal or log of some sort," she whispered, feeling the need to hush her voice for reasons she couldn't decipher. Glancing around to make sure they were alone- although she doubted she would know if they weren't- she went on. "I'm pretty a door opened here."

"A door? Like there aren't any doors around," Rom sighed and rolled his eyes.

"No, a _door_. Like, a door to hell or something."

"Wow, that's not cliché."

She kicked him in the shin. "Something came out of it," she continued, feeling a shiver go up her spine. "It killed most of the people who lived here. The person who wrote this barricaded themselves into the library."

Rom slowly looked around with only his eyes. "I'm guessing they went all cheesy ghost-who-tries-to-help-by-scaring-people-off?"

"I guess." Lime thumbed through the book, finding nothing of importance on any of the other pages, as most of the ones after it were blank and the ones before falling apart. Turning back to the ninth page, she squinted at it. "Hold on."

"What?"

"They mention how it was 'all Iia's fault' and 'if he hadn't opened the damned thing'."

" _Why_ would anyone willingly open a door to some demonic realm? Why are people so stupid?"

"Do you think that's what they're doing now?" Lime whispered, eyes widening. He huffed at being ignored. "No, seriously. The things, whatever they were, what if they're trying to open it again? I'm pretty sure it's closed right now, otherwise Gohan would sense _something_."

"Didn't sense the monsters."

"By what's written here, when the door was open, all the vegetation started dying and the air was heavy. The grass is grown up to our waists out there, and none of us noticed any bad vibes."

"Okay, fine. They're trying to open the stupid cheesy door to hell. Why take Sharpner and Videl then?"

For a moment, they both stared at the book, as if it held the answers to all the world's mysteries- until they both slowly looked up at each other, eyes going round.

"Human sacrifice?" Lime breathed.

"Human sacrifice," Rom agreed, slowly reaching out and setting the book down. "We have to find them."

They both found Gohan's ki, thankfully with Sharpner's alongside it. With a slap to the forehead, Rom found Chico's and Erasa's steadily heading toward Gohan's and Sharpner's, and gave Lime a look.

"Guess that's where we're going, then?"

* * *

"He said there was a cave we needed to find," Chico said, squinting against the darkness.

"Didn't he sound kind of different to you?" Erasa frowned, brushing her bangs behind her ear.

"Different? No." Chico plowed forward through the underbrush, spitting a stray leaf out of her mouth. "It's Gohan."

"If you say so," Erasa murmured, but she could tell something was off.

"There it is!" Chico exclaimed, pointing to an opening in the trees. "Cave. They must be in there."

"Are you sure we should just go in?" Erasa asked worriedly, hugging herself tightly as she glanced around the forest. The night felt eerie, like the time she and Sharpner had slipped into school in the middle of the night to play a prank on their homeroom teacher. They'd spray painted his whiteboard in yellow paint, but they'd been looking over their shoulders the whole time in constant fear of getting caught.

In Chico went, and Erasa jogged after her. The cave dipped down just slightly, not quite a tunnel into a deeper level of earth, just a small incline to a lower spot on the hilled country the cave inhabited.

Chico lighted the way with the flashlight on her phone, and Erasa hovered at her shoulder. They walked for such a long time that the light from the opening died out.

"5:27," Chico said, bundling her jacket tighter around herself. "It'll start getting lighter out soon. Everything won't seem as scary then."

Erasa didn't reply, plodding along behind her. Her eyes had adjusted to the dark by then, and the slight flicker of light ahead seemed like a shining beacon. "I see light," she exclaimed, breaking into a jog.

The two ran toward the light, footsteps as loud as drums in the silent cave. They entered into a larger portion of the cave- almost like a room, with a torch in the middle tied to a long stick stabbed into the ground.

Across from them, Gohan and Sharpner stood examining the walls. "Guys!" Chico shouted, rushing forward. The two whirled around, relief showing on their faces as the group embraced.

"What're you two doing here?" Gohan demanded, frowning. "I told you to stay in the van. No one stayed in the van, did they?"

"No," Chico said, casting him an apologetic glance. "Sorry. Lime and Rom ran off somewhere."

Gohan rubbed his forehead, groaning. "Just great. Hold on." He went rigid, giving them a once-over. "We were following the Creeper here. It's in the caverns." Dismay spread across their faces. "What were you two thinking, coming down here?!"

"You told us to!" Chico yelped, crossing her arms defensively. Gohan tilted his head, confusion dancing across his features.

"No, I didn't."

"Yes you did. You called us when we were in the forest," said Chico.

Gohan slowly drew his phone out of his pocket, flipping it over to show them its black screen. "My phone died twenty minutes ago," he said in a low voice.

Chico and Erasa looked at each other, shivering. "What called us, then?" said Chico quietly.

"Not me," Gohan insisted, circling them as he examined the room. "We need to find Videl."

"And then get out of here and never listen to Sharpner's stupid ideas again," Erasa murmured.

"Hey!"

"Hold on," Gohan hissed, turning toward the direction of the village. "Rom is headed this way. He's close."

As one, they turned to stare across the room, tensing when a shape appeared out of the darkness. Rom stepped into the room, looking bleary and confused, and the tension fled his form when he spotted them.

The group rushed forward to surround him, Chico glomping him. "Rom, where've you been?" she squeaked, wrapping her limbs around his form in a death grip.

"Lime and I tried to find something in the library to figure out what's going on," Rom said, rushed. "We were headed this way when something grabbed her. I've been lost for I don't know how long."

"Damn." Gohan spread his senses out, scowling. "I can't sense her or Videl." He ran his hands through his hair.

"Gohan, listen. A portal opened up here a while back, and these things came through and killed everyone. Lime and I think they're trying to open the door again, with human sacrifice."

Erasa let out an audle squeak.

"That makes sense," Gohan replied. "A door to the Demon Realm opened on Earth when my dad was a kid. He managed to get it closed. Either that, or a door to hell, but I think we've had our fill of bad horror movie clichés happening in real life, so I'm going with Demon Realm."

"How do we find them if we can't sense them?" Chico asked. She was chewing on her thumbnail, a habit she'd had since she was a toddler.

In unison, their heads snapped around toward the west as Videl's energy signature popped into existence. "That way," Rom said, breaking into a run.

* * *

"So, you can hide people's energies if you're near them, right?" Lime ventured, swallowing nervously when the Creeper-thing looked over at her, ugly face scowling. She didn't know if it understood her, but it didn't like when she spoke, at least. "I have a friend who'll blow you to smithereens if you hurt me," she warned, watching it make strange markings in the dirt. "Seriously, he's a pacifist, but he will blow you up."

With a screech, the thing tossed a rock at her, making her shrivel up on the rock slab she was tied to with vine from the forest. The rock bounced harmlessly off the stone near her head.

The thing sat back on its heels, staring at the symbols as if it were in a trance. They looked like nonsense to Lime, nothing more than a child's doodling, but it seemed satisfied with its work, turning and searching the chamber for something.

Early morning light began to shine through one of the gaps in the stone in the ceiling high above. Lime gulped when it took a long, sharp piece of wood in its hands, chiseled to act as a stake, and started stalking toward her. "Don't, don't, don't! Get away from me! Stop!"

It raised the stake above its head, aiming for her stomach. It paused, waiting as the light shifted. Its eyes flicked to hers, and she could have sworn it was sneering.

"Die," it hissed, angling the stake down.

 _Bam!_ Lime jumped when something slammed into the creature's head, knocking it to the side. She blinked at Videl, holding a large rock in her hands, wearing her best 'don't mess with me unless you have a death wish' scowl beneath a few layers of dirt and grime.

Evidently, the thing had a death wish. It stood with a low hiss, rising to its full height-

An energy blast took its head off, making both girls jump a foot in the air. Its body fell over with a dull, anticlimactic thud, and they stared at the opening to the chamber, where Gohan still had his hand raised.

"Guys!" he exclaimed, leaping over the carcass to run towards them. Videl withheld a grunt of surprise when his arms wrapped around her, nearly cutting off her air supply. "Dear Kami, Videl, where were you?"

"Mucking about in the tunnels after a thing pulled me into a mirror," she said. "I got out in a farmhouse somewhere near here and followed it here. Bludgeoned it with a rock."

He pulled away with a grin while Rom and Sharpner untied Lime. "Always good in a crisis, aren't you?"

She could see pride dancing in his eyes, and stood up straighter, a pleasant feeling in her chest. "I- I guess," she nodded. "I mean- yes! Why wouldn't I be?" she crossed her arms and glared, toeing a pebble. "I worked with the police!"

Chuckling, he looked over his shoulder. "All right, Lime?"

"Oh, yeah, a demon monster thing just tried to murder my face, I'm peachy," she muttered back sourly, making him laugh.

"I for one am ready to get out of here. Hardly anything I can do about the ghosts you saw, but I'll call Baba. Agreed?"

" _Agreed_ ," his group chorused.

* * *

"I think we need a vacation."

"We're kind of on a never-ending vacation, Gohan," Rom said, taking a sip of his drink. They'd flocked to Satan City and taken advantage of the city residents' showers before holing up in Scout's, piling into a booth, ordering ten plates of nachos, and yanking the curtain shut.

"No, I mean from Earth," Gohan said, tossing a chip into his mouth. "I have a ship. We should visit some planets."

"Hold on." Sharpner said flatly, turning to stare at him across the table. "I know you're an alien-"

"Half-alien."

"But _space_?"

"Why not?" Gohan shrugged, passing a bowl of salsa to Videl. They'd taken to sitting beside each other whenever they went anywhere, although no one had noticed.

"I'm in," Lime said, tapping away at her phone. "I'll email Grandpa."

"Space sounds exciting!" Erasa squealed, cupping her hands around the drink in front of her. "We still have most of our year left until we have to go back to school. Let's go, Videl!"

Videl shrugged, mouth full of cheese. "Don't be a wimp, Sharpner," she warned when her friend opened his mouth.

With a huff, Sharpner sat back. "Fine. Fine, we'll go to _space_ in his _spaceship_ because that's just what happens every day and is tooootally normal."

"Good you agree!" Chico teased, stuffing a handful of food into his mouth. He choked and glared at her, making Rom snicker.

"Awesome!" Gohan clapped his hands, peeking out of the curtains toward the bar. "Check, please?"

* * *

The humans gathered around the ship's windows and stared out in awe, a silent source of Gohan's amusement. "Man, no one's ever going to believe me at school," Erasa whined.

"Space," Gohan chuckled, "the final frontier."

"Nerd," Sharpner called from the kitchen.

"Don't be a hater, Pencil," Gohan yelled back, smirking when Sharpner groaned. Videl rolled her eyes at them.

"Okay, but where are landing first? How do we even find somewhere that has people?" Chico asked, jumping over the back of the couch in the living area. There were three couches and two chairs set in a circle around a table, separating the kitchen area from three doors that comprised the sleeping areas. They were tiny, and held two bunk bed sets each, but afforded one privacy. The controls were set into the wall across from the sofas, set inside a metal desk with several screens on the walls connected to the cameras on the outside of the ship.

"Have to leave Earth's immediate vicinity, but I have a handy-dandy device for that," Gohan swiveled in his chair at the desk, holding up a radar of some sort. "It detects life forms and gives a rough estimate of population. We'll use that to find somewhere to explore."

"How long will that take?" Videl asked skeptically, leaning on the desk beside him.

With a wide grin, he hovered his hand over a large button on the control panel. "Better hold onto something."

His ship was right out of a dream- or more accurately, a wish. It had taken him a while to learn its controls, but by now he knew just how fast it could go.

Confusion flashed across her face before she caught sight of the mischievous expression he wore and dove for a couch, suddenly understanding why he'd bolted them down to the floor. Lime was the only other one to get with the program, pulling a seatbelt out of the seams of one of the chairs with an incredulous look.

Gohan pressed the button.

The whole ship jerked, sending Sharpner to the floor and Erasa stumbling over the back of a chair. Rom and Chico dived for something to anchor themselves to, and the ship took off, making everything a dizzy blur.

Gohan let out a whoop, letting the ship ride for several moments while he laughed. "Dude!" Sharpner screeched, hair flying in his face. "S-slow d-d-down!"

Gohan slammed down on the controls, bringing them to a stop. He snickered as they panted, trying to reorient themselves. "How's that?"

Chico got up, looking sick to her stomach, and peered out the window. "I can't even see Earth anymore," she gasped.

Gohan winked, and Videl stared. "That's how we'll get around."

He whirled around and got up, heading toward the door in the kitchen that led to a room full of machinery that powered the ship that none of his companions knew how to work. "W-wait!" Rom yelped, stumbling around as he tried to follow. "We have to do that to get around _all the time?_ "

Videl watched him as he went, an odd feeling in her gut. She stared at his multi-colored hair and the wing-shaped earring as they disappeared behind the door, wondering why everything to do with him lately had felt so weird and off. For a moment, she considered asking Erasa, but immediately shied away from the idea, turning to the control panel with a scowl. She knew exactly what her friend would say.

And Videl Satan did _not_ get crushes.


	9. Chapter 9

"Holy crap," Erasa said in pure awe, craning her head back all the way to stare up at the looming skyscrapers above them. A robot floated by, the green panels that functioned as its "eyes" flashing at random, carrying a tray of various devices and bottles.

"Does your craft require any maintenance?" It asked, stopping in front of Gohan, who was swinging the 'keys' to the ship on his index finger. A normal craft, of course, didn't require the same type of key as a car did, but he'd modified it.

"Just a little oil on the door joints, if you don't mind," he replied. The robot chirped and swung off, the tray retracting into its stomach as it took one of the bottles in hand.

The loading bay consisted of countless round platforms held aloft in the air by long steel arms, stairs extending down to metal bridges crisscrossed over the layers of the city below. Gohan had counted thirty-seven as they landed on the twenty-second, the ship on autopilot. Overhead, more bridges and platforms, some buildings built on the limbs of the city and some hovering. The city itself extended for miles and miles as far as the eye could see, much larger than anything on Earth; fitting, since the planet itself was nearly five times the size of Gohan's home planet.

Chico and Lime ran ahead, jogging down the stairs and pointing out different sights to each other. In the airspace between the layers, air traffic moved around, with street lights not unlike those on Earth floating in orbs that flashed red, blue, and purple. Across the maze of roadways, Gohan could see several shuttles, evidently the planet's version of buses, gathering people and lifting off.

"We thank you for visiting Agraremia," a second bot beside him said, its twin hovering on his other side beside Videl. "Visitor passes are being prepared for you. A short survey is required to complete the forms, thus letting you use our services, such as full ship repair, living arrangements and spas, government offices, and food vendors. Would you like to perform a money exchange?"

"Yes, please," Gohan said, already taking out his wallet. He placed a stack of bills on the tray that had extended from the robot's chest. It retracted, producing a second stack when it surfaced again; Anarembia's bills were a beige color with several languages on them.

"First question: are you here for business or personal reasons?"

"Personal. Vacation."

"Second question: how many are in your party total?"

"Seven."

"Third question: what is your projected length of stay?"

"Around eight Earth days."

"Fourth question: do you have any weapons on your person or ship requiring permits?"

"No."

"Fifth question: would you like to participate in our Travelers' program, allowing you to apply for a permanent planetary pass and access any planet in the Olath Pact with visitor rights? The Olath Pact was formed shortly after the Intergalactic Trade Organization's downfall, and comprises the whole of our galaxy, falling under jurisdiction of the Galactic Justice Patrol. The Patrol partners with the Galactic Patrol of the Milky Way Galaxy."

"Sure."

"Thank you for your time. To complete these passes, you will be required to visit the Immigration Offices on level twenty-one of Tokero City. You may complete these passes in proxy for the other members of your party. Would you like me to provide you with a map?"

"That'd be great. I'm sure my friends would like one as well."

Its robotic claw reached into its abdomen, retrieving a panel that it attached to Gohan's wrists by three straps. "You will be given a tutorial for use. This button accesses the map of our city and galaxy," the robot continued, pressing on the button farthest to the left.

Gohan whistled, impressed, as he clicked through the map. Just the level they were on itself extended for miles, full of uncountable buildings, numerous twists and side streets and alleys. _It'd take years to explore this place,_ he thought as Videl extended her arm for one. _Literally._

There was a single glowing yellow bar on the outside of the bracer. Upon further investigation, he found a Q&A section of the information pool, eyes flicking up and down the holographic screen. One bar meant a visitor, alien, or otherwise foreigner, two bars meant a citizen, and three meant a government official. Three and a single red bar meant military. All blue meant the bearer was involved in the planet's religion. A single yellow bar and a single orange bar meant the bearer was not a citizen, but a recognized ally or friend.

"This'll be helpful for finding other planets," Videl said, looking at the device from different angles as they followed their friends down the street. Sharpner had let out a short scream when a robot snuck up on him as he was leaning over the railing, gazing down at vehicles as they flew by and pedestrians visible on the levels below, while Erasa laughed at him and tried to make a robot blush.

Gohan eyed a sign that read 'Temperature Control: 55 RR'." with curiosity. "You should see the database on this. Has info on all the populated planets, so we'll have a choice," he said cheerfully. "Why don't you and everyone else go find a hotel? I'm heading down to the immigration offices to finish these. It has a phone…thing built in, so you can fiddle with that."

She nodded, and they split at a walkway intersection. He followed a holographic street sign towards a large, round circular platform where several people were standing around waiting; one magenta-skinned man with antennae kept checking what Gohan assumed to be a watch.

His map told him to stand there to go down, so he stepped on and waited. On a pole in front of them read a countdown, with three symbol sets for numbers- luckily, he could read one as it counted down from ten.

 _Three,_

 _Two,_

 _One._

Gohan jumped and let out a short gasp when the floor disappeared out from beneath him. However, everyone around him showed no reaction, not even moving as they floated in midair for the briefest of seconds before an unseen force moved them downward as one. A blue glow had surrounded the gap in the floor, restricting entry or exit, and he could see a similar force field on the level below, but that didn't change how surreal it felt to look down and see hundreds of feet below full of nothing but thin air. While he wasn't doing _anything_ to fly.

They settled on the level below and the floor rematerialized. The countdown started again from fifteen, and he quickly stepped off, trying not to look like a foreigner.

"First time?" A girl beside him smirked.

"Yeah," Gohan admitted sheepishly. "I can fly, though, so I don't know why it threw me off."

She shrugged, the corner of her navy-colored lips pulling upward. "Lots of people who can fly get on those things and lose their balance. It's all in your head."

She stepped away into the crowd. Gohan tapped at his map again, idly reading a message from a system titled "The Hash-Slinging Slasher" that read "mssging works!"

 _Sharpner,_ he thought, rolling his eyes.

After leaving that world's version of an elevator, he took an escalator to a surprisingly normal-looking office building.

"Excuse me, can you direct me to immigration offices?" he asked the receptionist, a vaguely-humanoid female wearing glasses. She sat behind a pristine silver desk, tapping away at a holographic keyboard filled with strange symbols.

She lifted one of her seven fingers and pointed to a door. "Er…thank you." He quickly retreated, feeling out of his element.

Behind the door there was nothing but a hovering silver stool and a desk seating a surprisingly human-like male, several tubes extending from the ceiling delivering paperwork in pods. "Take a seat," the alien told him, gesturing at the stool.

Gohan sat down with a tinge of nervousness. "You can call me Mr. Seiyra," the alien said, glancing at a note on his desk as if to check he was speaking in the right language.

"Son Gohan," Gohan replied with a respectful bow of his head. "I'm also filing the visitor passes for my friends, Satan Videl, Nakano Chico and Rom, Saito Erasa, Ueno Sharpner, and Lao Lime."

One hand tapped away at a keyboard while Seiyra didn't even glance at it. A moment later, what looked like a printer began shooting out papers. "Please fill out these forms," Seiyra said, dividing them all into seven clipboards.

Gohan sweatdropped at the five-page groups. _They so owe me for this._

Among other things, the forms asked about his home planet, medical information, species, and any criminal records he had. Fortunately, he knew much about his friends' medical histories, having asked about such things before they hit the road; if there was an emergency, he wanted to know how to deal with it. It was how he knew Erasa was allergic to pecans and Rom developed a rash when exposed to bandages with latex.

Seiyra said nothing as he sat there filling them out, piling them in a stack on the desk. "I think that's the last of it," Gohan said, setting the pen the man had given him down with the last clipboard.

He picked up the stacks and set them in a bin. A hum filled the room, and they retracted into the printer-like devise.

A moment later, Seiyra picked up what looked like a staple gun. He motioned for Gohan to hold out his arm, placing the device over the strip on Gohan's bracer, ejecting what he assumed to be some sort of chip into it.

"A service droid will deliver your friends', and their signatures will be retrieved through their own Agralinks," Seiyra told him. He could only assume the device strapped to his arm was an Agralink. "Do not lose this device. It will function as a passport for every planet in the Elath Pact, and you will not be able to enter without it. However, if you lose or damage it, you may visit a Galactic Justice Patrol outpost to file for a new one."

"Thank you," Gohan said politely, standing.

"Please enjoy your stay," Seiyra said with an overly cheery smile.

As he left the building, Gohan prayed his friends hadn't gotten into any trouble.

* * *

"What _happened_?" Gohan gasped, gaping at the hotel room in dismay. He'd followed Videl's directions to the hotel they'd checked in at, a five-story building in the shape of an orb that sat on a street full of what he could only assume were restaurants and some sort of entertainment centers.

They'd gotten two rooms, one for the females and one for the males. However, both Chico and Lime stood in his room when he arrived, standing almost helplessly amidst the chaos.

A pot of some sort of liquid was overturned in the kitchenette, spilling onto the carpet where a burn was etched into it. One of the pillows had been destroyed, leaving weird, tiny feathers all over, including in the sticky mess on the floor.

"Um," Sharpner said. He was splayed out across the floor, looking as if he'd tripped and fallen over.

"Well," Rom added guiltily. "I spilled the…coffee, I guess?"

"And he ran into me," Sharpner continued, a vein throbbing on his forehead.

"Except Sharpner thought he did it on purpose," Lime snickered. "So he blasted him."

"Which he deflected into the carpet," Chico finished in amusement.

Gohan dragged a hand down his face. "And the pillow?"

"Ah." Rom glanced up, as if he had the answer, before shrugging. "No idea."

Gohan sighed. "Let's just go find Videl and Erasa. I'll pay damages later."

* * *

"Okay, seriously, how did we end up here," Sharpner whispered, watching the performer in front of them walk to and fro as he showed the crowd an empty box. They sat in a neat line, part of a half-circle on the sidewalk.

"As you can see, there is nothing in this box," the performer went on. He wore baggy tan pants and a purple vest, as well as a black bow tie around his purple neck. He looked like a bird to Sharpner; even had a large yellow beak for a nose. "But what's this?" He flipped the box close and shook it back and forth.

He whipped open the box, revealing a silver wing. "Hey!" Gohan exclaimed, hands flying up to his ear, now empty of one of his earrings. "Whoa!"

The crowd burst into applause. The man held out the box to Gohan, and he retrieved his earring with a grin.

"Now then," the man continued, turning his grin to Videl, who sat on Gohan's left. "Miss, pick a number!"

"Er," Videl replied, startled "fourteen?"

"Fourteen!" The bird-man whirled around, clasping his hands together. "Fourteen…fourteen…"

He spun around again, spreading his hands wide. Letters exploded from his grip, tumbling through the air until fourteen paper words had fallen to the ground, all spelling out _Gohan_.

"Ooh! How'd you know his name?" Erasa gasped.

The performer winked at her. "Magic."

Gohan grinned, clapping along with the crowd. "How'd he _really_ do that?" Sharpner whispered to him, in awe himself.

"Observation. Probably heard one of you call me by name earlier."

"And the words?"

"Probably micro-shrunk into spring-loaded compartments on his wrist."

"And your earring? He never even came near you."

"Now that one I don't know. But hey." Gohan winked like the man had. "Magic."

Sharpner rolled his eyes with a huff. "How'd you even know the first two?"

"Ah, well…"

* * *

 _"Want more coffee, Dante?"_

 _The old man smiled at him, worn fingers wrapped around his empty mug. "Sure. Thanks, Gohan."_

 _Gohan tossed him a grin as he retreated to the coffee maker, now-empty pot in hand. "Had any good shows lately?"_

 _"Oh, not really. People these days just want things bigger, louder." Dante gestured with his hands. "They get bored easily. My tricks aren't that great anymore."_

 _"Aw, c'mon. I thought that card one you had was great."_

 _"That's because you're a nice child," Dante replied, eyes twinkling. "How old are you this year?"_

 _"I lost count," Gohan replied with a flippant grin over his shoulder._

 _A chuckle. The diner's door swished open, the jingling of the bell near the ceiling alerting the other two occupants. "Have a seat," Gohan called, without turning around. "I'll be with you in a minute."_

 _He turned back to Dante, setting a plate of cheesecake on the bar. Two men and two women had occupied a booth near the door, looking as if they'd just come from a party at a politician's house, except Gohan could tell their feathers and pearls were fake. They looked to be ignoring him, while one of the men went on about something or other, entertaining the other three._

 _"Name's Rene, or so he says," Dante whispered across the counter, a conspiratorial, amused twinkle in his eye. "That trick there," Rene shot a burst of glitter into the air, making the women clap, "keeps the glitter in a capsule under his sleeves. Has a trigger on his other palm that sets it off."_

 _Gohan chuckled, shaking his head. "I'll never understand why people like this stuff so much," he admitted, grabbing four menus from a shelf beneath the bar._

 _"People like magic, and since they can't have real magic, they go for fake magic," Dante said, waving one hand. Gohan grabbed a pile of napkins, swinging over the small half-door that separated the area behind the counter and the dining area. It had been stuck for two hours, as it was wont to do on humid evenings._

 _"Here's your menus, sorry for the wait," Gohan said, dropping a menu in front of each patron and taking out his pad with his other hand. He hovered his pen above the paper. "Can I take your order?"_

 _"We'll be a minute. Bring us some wine r'something," the second man replied dismissively._

 _"Sorry, sir. We don't serve alcohol."_

 _"Eh? What kinda establishment don't serve alcohol?" one of the women sighed. Gohan's smile twitched as he refrained from correcting her grammar._

 _"I can get you something else if you like. We have water, malts-"_

 _"I'll take chocolate!" the other woman exclaimed excitedly. "I love ice cream!"_

 _"All right, then. You three?"_

 _"Guess I'll have the same, then," the other woman shrugged. "Rene, Marj?"_

 _'Marj' gave the menu a small glance. "Cheeseburger. That's it. Shame you don't have any beer to go with it." Gohan internally rolled his eyes._

 _"I'll have a salad," the ice-cream loving woman added. "I'm on a diet." Gohan nodded as if he understood._

 _"Steak," Rene said, leaning back on the booth and closing his eyes._

 _"Me too," the other woman said. Gohan had a feeling she only ordered it because "Rene" had. Regardless, he nodded with a grin._

 _"I'll have it out in a few minutes."_

 _Tick-Tock Diner wasn't a popular restaurant in the heart of the Central Capitol; it was small, unassuming, sitting on a street corner on a street that didn't get much foot traffic. However, it had the fortune of being on the end of a street perpendicular to the show circuit, where entertainers and night clubs littered the city. The owner was a middle-aged woman who would rather spend her time reading in the city library than manning a store she'd inherited from her dead grandmother, so she'd signed Gohan on, along with a twenty-something cook who always mixed up her salt and sugar and another waitress who had clocked out before Gohan. When they did have shifts together, they spent their time making quips to each other as they passed in and out of the kitchen, poking fun at the wide range of customers they had._

 _Gohan adjusted his nametag, which had somehow gotten flipped upside-down, and placed his order on a revolving rack in the window between the kitchen and bar. He rang the bell, poking his head through. "Hey, Cicero, order up."_

 _"On it!" The cook replied, jolting up from where Gohan assumed she'd been napping. Part of her hair was stuck to her face, the other part sticking up in a wild fashion._

 _He sighed. "Get a hair net, will you?"_

 _"Sorry," she cringed._

 _"Good cake, Gohan. Did Cicero make this?" Dante asked. Gohan swiveled to face him, grin back at full force._

 _"Nope. That was Berry. Cicero can't make cheesecake to save her life."_

 _"I resent that," Cicero called from somewhere in the kitchen._

 _"Oi, could you keep it down? We're trying to watch Rene," one of the women called._

 _Gohan rolled his eyes again. "The last time she tried, it somehow ended up with lettuce on it," he whispered, folding his arms on the counter. "So how do they do that one?" he asked, nodding his head at Rene as he pulled an endless scarf from his sleeve._

 _"Very, very,_ very _careful folding," Dante replied. "He's probably just happy to get it out of his boot." They both snickered._

 _"Mhm, and I'm guessing the coin in your ear trick is just sleight of hand."_

 _"Right it is, my boy."_

 _"And what about those card tricks, eh?"_

 _Smiling, Dante pulled a deck of cards from his inside pocket. "Before I tell you, I'll see if you can find out on your own. You're a smart youngster."_

 _Gohan couldn't help but grin. "All right, let's see."_

 _"Pick a card."_

 _"Got it."_

 _The clatter of glass against tin behind him told him Cicero had finished the salad and burger._

 _Dante spread the cards on the counter face down. "Now then. Was your card…" He picked one at random. "The Queen of Hearts?"_

 _Gohan's eyebrows shot up. "Wow. That's impressive." Dante grinned._

 _"Oh, come on, card tricks are so last_ decade _," one of the women whined, having come up to lean over the counter. "Is our food ready yet?"_

 _"They'll be out in a minute, ma'am."_

 _It's been five minutes, Gohan thought, unsure of whether he should be annoyed or pity them for being so impatient._

 _"Would you like to pick a card, miss?" Dante asked good-naturedly, smile showing two rows of remarkably well-kept teeth. Gohan wondered how the man had avoided having his wisdom teeth removed._

 _"No." The woman wrinkled her nose. "Rene can do a lot better than that."_

 _"I dunno, I kinda prefer the 'old time-y' card tricks," Gohan teased with a grin, leaning on his knuckles. "Did you make a mark on my card with your thumbnail, by the way?"_

 _"Caught me," Dante laughed._

 _"A magician should never reveal his secrets! Geez, old man," the woman pouted. "Are you even on the circuit?"_

 _"Oh, no, those days are long passed," Dante replied._

 _"I can see why. Listen, would you quit jabbering with the old timer and get us our food?" Gohan gave Rene a flat stare. He'd come up behind his companion, wearing a bland expression._

 _"Sorry, but the cook makes the food, not me," Gohan replied, "I just deliver it. Just set a new round of 'cream and milk in the machine to thicken, so it'll be a few minutes until your drinks are ready, and the steaks take at least fifteen minutes to fry up."_

 _"Yeah, whatever," Rene sighed._

 _Gohan twitched. Ah, the joys of retail and fast food. To be fair, though, they were far from the most irritating customers he'd ever had._

 _They went back to their table, and he could tell they were complaining about him. How nice._

 _"Youngsters have no respect these days," Dante sighed._

 _"Yeah." Gohan rolled his eyes once more. "Tell me about it. Anyway, show me the addition trick again."_

* * *

"Dante taught me pretty much every trick in the book. The Earth book, anyway. Ended up getting him one last show biz gig as a last hoorah- asked me to be his assistant. He got to 'cut me in half'. Should've seen Cicero's face."

"Is there any job you _haven't_ done?" Sharpner asked wryly.

"I was a circus performer once."

"I am so done."

"Come on, guys!" Erasa called from down the street. The afternoon light had begun to die down, with the street lamps and other lights beginning to slowly come on as it dimmed. "We're heading to a movie theatre thing!"

Gohan broke into a jog, throwing a snarky grin over his shoulder at Sharpner. "I was an usher in a theatre once, too."

"Oh _come on!_ "


End file.
